Abstract
In this investigation the nature of the plastic zone ahead of a crack-tip in centrecracked tension, double-edge-notched tension, single-edge-notched tension, compact tension, extended compact tension, and single-edge-notched bend specimens have been assessed by elastic-plastic finite element analyses at different applied load levels ( J integral). The magnitudes of the plastic zone size (PZS) in the investigated specimens have been compared using a new reference standard J/aσy where a is crack length and σy is yield stress of the material. The results demonstrate that the PZS is almost invariant with respect to specimen geometry up to a critical value of J/aσy at a specific a/W ratio. However, beyond this critical value, the magnitudes of the PZS are found to depend on the specimen geometry, which has been attributed to the varying in-plane constraints at the crack tip in various specimens.
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