Fracture

Mechanics
Dr. Carlos Rubio González

Main Sources:
• Callister W. D., Rethwisch D. G. , Materials Science and Engineering. An Introduction.
J. Wiley
• Dowling N. E., Mechnical Behavior of Materials, Pearson
 Introduction
• Brittle fracture of normally ductile materials, has demonstrated the need for a better understanding
of the mechanisms of fracture.
• Fracture mechanics allows quantification of the relationships between material properties, stress
level, the presence of crack-producing flaws, and crack propagation mechanisms.
• Design engineers are now better equipped to anticipate, and thus prevent, structural failures.
• Consider an elliptical flaw; as indicated by the profile, the
magnitude of the localized stress sm diminishes with distance
away from the crack tip. Because of their ability to amplify an
applied stress, these flaws are sometimes called stress
raisers.
• Sometimes the ratio sm/s0 is denoted as the stress
concentration factor Kt, which is simply a measure of the
degree to which an external stress is amplified at the notch
tip
1/2 1/2
𝑎 𝜎𝑚 𝑎
𝜎𝑚 = 2𝜎0 𝐾𝑡 = =2
𝜌𝑡 𝜎0 𝜌𝑡
Traditional design vs Fracture mechanics
design

Applied
Applied stress s
stress s

Fracture
Crack
toughnes
Material length a
s KIC
strength S0
Fracture mechanics
Traditional design
design
Linear elastic fracture mechanics
• FM, Analyzes the behavior of cracked bodies under different loading
conditions
• Stress analysis near the crack tip
• Singular stress field
• KI stress intensity factor
• G energy release rate
Failure modes

(a) Mode I, opening or tensile mode;

(b) Mode II, sliding mode, in-plane shear;
(c) Mode III, tearing mode, out-out plane shear
Fracture criterion
• If K < KIC Fracture is not possible
• If K ≥ KIC Fracture is possible

K KIC
Stress Intensity Factor Fracture Toughness
Depends on: Material property, depends
Crack geometry on:

Applied loads Temperature

Environment conditions
 Stress intensity factor
𝐾 = 𝐹𝑆𝑔 𝜋𝑎
• F = non-dimensional function, depends on
geometry and loading mode
• Sg remote stress

Stress intensity
factors for (a) an
embedded
elliptical crack and
(b) a similar half-
elliptical surface
crack. The
equations give KD
at point D for a
uniform tension
normal to the crack
plane
Stress intensity factors for three cases of cracked
plates under tension
Stress intensity factor
𝐾 = 𝐹𝑆 𝜋𝑎 Stress intensity factors for (a) an embedded circular crack
under uniform tension normal to the crack plane, and
related cases: (b) half-circular surface crack, (c) quarter-
circular corner crack, and (d) half-circular surface crack
in a shaft, where the latter is more precisely a portion of a
circular arc with center on the surface
Fracture toughness
Example 1
A center-cracked plate has dimensions b = 50 mm, t = 5 mm, and large
h; a force of P = 50 kN is applied.
a) What is the stress intensity factor K for a crack length of a = 10mm?
b) For a = 30mm?
c) What is the critical crack length ac for fracture if the material is 2014-T651
aluminum?
Safety factor
• Where cracks may be present, safety factors against yielding need to be
supplemented by safety factors against brittle fracture.
• Depending on the particular situation, either yielding or fracture might control
the design.
• A safety factor X against fracture for stress can be accomplished by applying the
same factor to K . Hence, if Sg and a are the stress and crack length that are
expected to occur in actual service, the safety factor on K, and thus on Sg, is
𝐾𝐼𝐶 𝐾𝐼𝐶
𝑋𝐾 = =
𝐾 𝐹𝑆𝑔 𝜋𝑎
Example 2
Consider the situation of Ex. 8.1, where a center-cracked plate of 2014-
T651 aluminum, with dimensions b = 50 and t = 5mm, is subjected in
service to a force of P = 50kN.
a) What is the largest crack length a that can be permitted for a safety factor
against fracture of 3.0 in stress?
b) What is the safety factor against yielding?
Example 3
A pressure vessel made of ASTM A517-F steel operates near room temperature and
has a wall thickness of t = 50 mm. A surface crack was found in the vessel wall
during an inspection. It has an approximately semi-elliptical shape, as in Fig.
8.19(b), with surface length 2c = 40 mm and depth a = 10 mm. The stresses in the
region of the crack, as calculated without considering the presence of the crack, are
approximately uniform through the thickness and are Sz = 300 MPa normal to the
crack plane and Sx = 150 MPa parallel to the crack plane, where the coordinate
system of Fig. 8.19 is used.
a) What is the safety factor against brittle fracture?
b) Would you remove the pressure vessel from service?
Fracture toughness
• During testing, load vs crack opening is
recorded
• Several standards for testing, ASTM E399

Typical values
• Steel KIC ≈ 100 MPa 𝑚
• Polymers KIC ≈ 1 - 5 MPa 𝑚
• Ceramics KIC ≈ 1 - 10 MPa 𝑚
KIC trends
Plastic zone size affects KQ. If thickness satisfies the
following relationship, an increase in KQ is not
expected. Plane strain condition 𝐾
2
𝑄
𝑡 ≥ 2.5
𝜎0

Effect of thickness

Fracture toughness vs.

yield strength
 Specimen orientation

Sensibility of KIC to anisotropy induced

by the manufacturing process
Plastic zone
• LEFM is applicable if the plastic zone size is
not very large
2
1 𝐾
2𝑟0𝜎 ≥
𝜋 𝜎0

• The plastic zone should be smaller than a,

b-a, h
• Condition for LEFM be valid
2
4 𝐾
𝑎, 𝑏 − 𝑎 , ℎ ≥
𝜋 𝜎0

LEFM Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics

Planes stress – plane strain

Plane strain condition

2
𝐾
𝑡, 𝑎, 𝑏 − 𝑎 , ℎ ≥ 2.5
𝜎0
Example 6
For the situation of Ex. 8.1:
a) For a = 10 mm , determine whether or not plane strain applies and
whether or not LEFM is valid. Also estimate the plastic zone size.
b) Do the same for the estimated ac = 16.3 mm
 Typical curves P-v
6 6
Without LSP
2
2500 pul/cm
5 5
PQ=4.61kN

4 4
Load (kN)

Load (kN)
2
1350 pul/cm
3 3 1 mm
900 pul/cm2
Without LSP
2 2
• C. Rubio-González, J. L Ocaña, et al., Effect of
1
1
laser shock processing on fatigue crack growth
0
0
and fracture toughness of 6061-T6 aluminum
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 alloy, Materials Science and Engineering A, 386
Displacement (mm)
Displacement (mm) (2004) 291-295
(a) (b) • C. Rubio-González, C. Felix-Martinez, et al.
Effect of laser shock processing on fatigue crack
growth of duplex stainless steel, Materials
Pulse density Load PQ Fracture Science and Engineering A 528 (2011) 914-919
Pul/cm2 kN Toughness • V. M. Rodriguez-Herrejon, C. Rubio-González,
MPa(m)1/2
Without LSP 4.61 34.04
et al., Analysis of the effects of isothermal aging
900 4.78 35.29 and Laser Shock Peening on the flow properties,
1350 5.24 38.69 fatigue crack growth and fracture toughness of
2500 5.32 39.28 Inconel 718, in press Optics
and Laser Technology, 2023