Computation of energy release rate components by the use of near-tip stress and displacement distributions

Abstract

A simple method, called the two-term parameter technique, is introduced for the computation of the energy release rate in specimens made of composite materials. A cracked lap shear specimen with a zero degree stacking sequence was employed. The mode II energy release rate, calculated by the two-term parameter technique, was compared with that determined by using the crack closure method. The results show that the two-term parameter technique is very comparable to the crack closure method and does not require exact information of the stress and displacement distributions at the crack tip to get the energy release rate. Moreover, it is shown that while the crack closure method depends on the crack extension size, the two-term parameter technique is less affected by it.