Abstract

An experimental procedure is presented for determining the mode I stress-intensity factor of an edge crack with a nearby rigid elliptical inclusion in a finite plate loaded in uniform tension. The rigid inclusion was modeled by bonding two identical steel inclusions on to the faces of a thin plate of polycarbonate. Models were constructed with edge cracks and various inclusion geometries so that the effect of parameters such as inclusion shape, orientation, and cracktip position on the stress-intensity factors of the crack could be determined. Photoelasticity experiments were used for this investigation and the results were compared to the results of a similar theoretical analysis of the interaction between a crack and an inclusion in an infinite plate. A good correlation was found between the experimental and theoretical models indicating that the results may help provide a better understanding of the toughening mechanisms in materials such as short-fiber-reinforced composites and ceramics. This experimental method is relatively easy to use making it an attractive candidate to be applied to similar problems involving cracks and inhomogeneities.

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