Crack limiting velocity

Abstract

We address the question of how a dynamic crack can approach zero velocity. Continuum theories usually do not explicitly include the radiation of energy away from the crack tip. We show that its inclusion leads to the prediction of crack velocity that increases smoothly (though sharply) from zero. We then connect an older, simple model of crack propagation (``atoms on rails'') to a recently proposed single-particle model and show how the disappearance of lattice trapping leads to a smooth low-velocity limit.