LINEAR ELASTIC FRACTURE MECHANICS (LEFM)

For LEFM the structure obeys Hooke’s law and global behavior is linear
and if any local small scale crack tip plasticity is ignored
The fundamental principle of fracture mechanics is that the stress field around a
crack tip being characterized by stress intensity factor K which is related to both
the stress and the size of the flaw. The analytic development of the stress intensity
factor is described for a number of common specimen and crack geometries below.
The three modes of fracture

Mode I - Opening mode: where the crack surfaces separate symmetrically with
respect to the plane occupied by the crack prior to the deformation (results from
normal stresses perpendicular to the crack plane);

Mode II - Sliding mode: where the crack surfaces glide over one another in
opposite directions but in the same plane (results from in-plane shear); and

Mode III - Tearing mode: where the crack surfaces are displaced in the crack
plane and parallel to the crack front (results from out-of-plane shear).
LINEAR ELASTIC FRACTURE MECHANICS (Contd.)
In the 1950s Irwin [7] and coworkers introduced the concept of stress intensity
factor, which defines the stress field around the crack tip, taking into account
crack length, applied stress and shape factor Y( which accounts for finite size
of the component and local geometric features).
The Airy stress function.
In stress analysis each point, x,y,z, of a stressed solid undergoes the stresses;
xy, z, xy, xz,yz. With reference to figure 2.3, when a body is loaded and
these loads are within the same plane, say the x-y plane, two different loading
s
conditions are possible:
Thickness Thickness
1. plane stress (PSS), when the B
s
B
s
thickness of the body is
y syy
comparable to the size of the
sz sz
plastic zone and a free s
contraction of lateral surfaces X
Crack
Plane
sz sz
occurs, and, a
2. plane strain (PSN), when the
specimen is thick enough to
s s
avoid contraction in the
thickness z-direction. s
Plane Stress Plane Strain
In the former case, the overall stress state is reduced to the three
components; x, y, xy, since; z, xz, yz= 0, while, in the latter
case, a normal stress, z, is induced which prevents the z
displacement, z = w = 0. Hence, from Hooke's law:
z = ν (x+y)
where νis Poisson's ratio.
For plane problems, the equilibrium conditions are:
 x  xy  y  xy
 0 ;  0
x y y x

If  is the Airy’s stress function satisfying the biharmonic

compatibility Conditions  4  0
 2  2  2
 x  2 , y  2 ,  xy  
Then y x xy
For problems with crack tip Westergaard introduced Airy’s stress
function as  
  Re[ Z]  y Im[Z]
Where Z is an analytic complex function

 
bg
Z z  Re[ z ]  y Im[ z ] ; z = x + iy
And Z, Z are 2nd and 1st integrals of Z(z)
Then the stresses are given by
2
 x  2  Re[Z]  y Im[Z' ]
y
2
y  2  Re[Z]  y Im[Z' ]
x
2
 xy    y Im[Z' ]
xy
where Z' = dZ dz
 Opening mode analysis or Mode I
Consider an infinite plate a crack of length 2a subjected to a biaxial
State of stress. Defining: s
z
Z
z 2
 a2 
y s
x
Boundary Conditions : 2a

• At infinity | z |   x   y  ,  xy  0
• On crack faces
 a  x  a; y  0  x   xy  0
s
By replacing z by z+a , origin shifted to crack tip.

Z
b g
 za
zb
z  2a g
 And when |z|0 at the vicinity of the crack tip
a KI
Z 
2az 2 z
K I   a
KI must be real and a constant at the crack tip. This is due to a
1
Singularity given by
z
The parameter KI is called the
stress intensity factor for opening
mode I.
Since origin is shifted to crack
tip, it is easier to use polar
Coordinates, Using

z  e i
Further Simplification gives:
 KI    3 
x  cos   1  sin   sin   
2 r 2  2   2 
KI    3 
y  cos   1  sin   sin   
2 r 2  2   2 
KI    3 
 xy  sin   cos   cos   
2 r 2 2  2 
KI
In general ij  f ij    and K I  Y a
2 r
where Y = configuration factor
From Hooke’s law, displacement field can be obtained as
2(1  ) r   1  
u KI cos     sin 2   
E 2 2 2  2 
2(1  ) r   1  
v KI sin     cos2   
E 2  2   2  2 
where u, v = displacements in x, y directions
  (3  4 ) for plane stress problems
3  
    for plane strain problems
 1  
The vertical displacements at any position along x-axis
(is given
 by2
v
E
a  x
2
 for plane stress
y

v
(1   2 )
a 
x
v 2
x 2
for plane strain x
E
The strain energy required for creation of crack is given by the
work done by force acting on the crack face while relaxing the
stress to zero 1
U a  Fv
2
For plane stress For plane strain
 (1   2 )
 a  x dx a  x 2 dx
a a
Ua  4   2 2
Ua  4   2

0 E 0 E
2 a 2 2 a 2 (1   2 )
E E
The strain energy release rate is given by G  dU a da
2 a 2 (1   2 )a
GI = GI =
E E
K 2I K 2I (1   2 )
GI = GI =
E E
 Sliding mode analysis or Mode 2
For problems with crack tip under shear loading, Airy’s stress
function is taken as  t
0

II   y Re[Z]
Using Air’s definition for stresses y

 2
 x  2  2 Im[Z]  y Re[Z ' ]
y
2a

 2
y  2   y Re[Z' ] t0
x
 2
 xy    Re[Z]  y Im[Z' ]
xy
Using a Westergaard stress function of the form
0 z
Z
z 2
 a2 