This paper addresses the trapping of the front of a planar crack as it impinges upon a row of periodically-emplaced tough obstacles. The initial penetration of the crack between obstacles, under increasing load, as well as the ultimate unstable joining of penetrating segments so as to surround and by-pass the obstacles, are analyzed. The formulation used for the associated three-dimensional elasticity problems of half-plane cracks with nonuniform, curved fronts is a Boundary Element Method (BEM). This incorporates a specialized fundamental solution for an opening (prismatic) dislocation source ahead of a half-plane crack with a straight front (Rice, 1985a). The implementation of this BEM and associated mesh moving with the front is first discussed after which a series of case studies are carried out. The first two case studies evaluate the accuracy of previously obtained linear perturbation results (Rice (1985b), Gao and Rice (1988)). The last study is a crack growth simulation around a periodic array of circular obstacles with a particle size to spacing ratio of 0.5. The simulation shows in that case that crack trapping achieves an effective toughening ratio of 2.35 when the particle-to-matrix-toughness ratio (Kcp/Kc) is greater than 3.52. The simulation also gives lower bounds on the net toughening when Kcp/Kc < 3.52.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
December 1989
Research Papers
Crack Fronts Trapped by Arrays of Obstacles: Numerical Solutions Based on Surface Integral Representation
Nabil Fares
Nabil Fares
Civil Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12181
Search for other works by this author on:
Nabil Fares
Civil Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12181
J. Appl. Mech. Dec 1989, 56(4): 837-843 (7 pages)
Published Online: December 1, 1989
Article history
Received:
December 1, 1988
Revised:
February 28, 1989
Online:
July 21, 2009
Citation
Fares, N. (December 1, 1989). "Crack Fronts Trapped by Arrays of Obstacles: Numerical Solutions Based on Surface Integral Representation." ASME. J. Appl. Mech. December 1989; 56(4): 837–843. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.3176179
Download citation file:
Get Email Alerts
Enhancement of Synchronization in Nonlinear MEMS Oscillator Based on Electrothermal Adjustment
J. Appl. Mech (April 2025)
Related Articles
Boundary Element Method by Dislocation Distribution
J. Appl. Mech (March,1987)
Effect of Strain Gradients and Heterogeneity on Flow Strength of
Particle Reinforced Metal-Matrix Composites
J. Eng. Mater. Technol (April,2002)
Multiscale Experiments: State of the Art and Remaining Challenges
J. Eng. Mater. Technol (October,2009)
Application of J -Integral to a Random Elastic Medium
J. Appl. Mech (March,2025)
Related Chapters
Recent Developments in J Ic Testing
Developments in Fracture Mechanics Test Methods Standardization
Concluding Remarks and Future Work
Ultrasonic Welding of Lithium-Ion Batteries
On the Process of Subsurface Fatigue Crack Initiation in Ti-6Al-4V
Fatigue Mechanisms