Pre-existing Cracks Research Articles

Experimental and numerical research of the behavior of 3D internal cracks under uniaxial compression using 3D-ILC technology

Uniaxial compression tests are one of the classic tests of solid mechanics. However, there remain some unsolved problems involving the test methods and numerical simulation. In the present study, in view of the difficulties in the manufacture of real internal cracks, glass, a classical material whose brittleness is quite close to that of natural rock material, is selected to generate pure closed internal cracks using 3D Internal Laser-Engraved Crack (3D-ILC) technology. Through the uniaxial compression test, we observe that the failure of specimens originates from the pre-existing internal crack. First, wing cracks are generated around it, which then propagate. As the load reaches the maximum bearing capacity, the later tensile crack eventually leads to the failure of the specimen. This test method can be used to observe and study the crack propagation process, failure law, failure mode and characteristic load of brittle materials. In the numerical analysis, adaptive grid method is used for grid division and update. The distribution of KI, KII, and KIII at the crack tip is obtained by M-Integral, and the crack propagation is simulated in combination with the maximum tensile stress (MTS) criterion. In terms of numerical simulation, the mode I/II/III propagation simulation of 3D internal crack is successfully realized, which is of great significance. At present, the research of 3D crack propagation and internal crack propagation has encountered bottlenecks in theory, experiment and numerical simulation. It is hoped that the experimental and numerical simulation methods in this paper can provide some reference.

Influences of matrix strength and weak planes on fracture response of recycled aggregate concrete

The fracture behaviours of concrete made with natural aggregate and recycled coarse aggregate (RCA) derived from crushing old concrete are compared. The performances are evaluated using concrete proportioned for different compressive strengths. The RCA from crushed old concrete produces a composite aggregate with mortar and aggregate phases. An examination of the RCA shows pre-existing cracks in the aggregate phase. Crack propagation and crack opening profiles in the fracture response of concrete beams are evaluated using the Digital Image Correlation (DIC) technique. The displacement profiles across the beam obtained using DIC are evaluated to understand the crack growth in the concrete. The cohesive stress response and an energy measure determined from the fracture test are related to physical observations of the fracture surface. The crack path in the concrete and the contribution of the different interfaces depend on the strength of the matrix surrounding the aggregate. In concrete with lower cementitious and higher water contents, the new mortar interface with RCA and the pre-existing cracks in the RCA contribute to the fracture surface in the RCA. While a larger fracture surface area is created in concrete made with RCA, the energy measure and the cohesive stress determined from the fracture test are lower. In concrete proportioned for higher compressive strength, there is a densification of the RCA-mortar interface and the fracture plane is produced through the aggregates. The pre-existing cracks in the RCA create weak planes, which contribute to the fracture surface created. Improving the mortar-RCA interface does not result in an improvement in tensile strength or fracture characteristics since there is also a significant contribution of the weak planes in the aggregate phase of RCA to the failure surface. The measured fracture surface area does not correlate with the energy measure from fracture test response.

Subcritical crack propagation in glacial quarrying during subglacial water pressure variation

AbstractGlacial quarrying stems from the fracturing of subglacial bedrock. Much evidence shows that subcritical crack propagation of bedrock is closely related to subglacial water pressure fluctuations. Here we employ a model that assesses the impact of subglacial water pressure fluctuation on cavity length and subcritical crack propagation, while analyzing the effect of a pre-existing crack location using a phase-field model (PFM). Our results indicate that the cavity length is reduced during diurnal fluctuations in water pressure. There are two patterns of subcritical crack propagation on the corner of the step. The first stems from a rapid drop in water pressure. The second occurs after the water pressure recovers from the fluctuation to the initial steady state. This pattern is a consequence of enhanced stress concentration on the step since the modeled cavity length exceeds its steady value and has higher efficiency in promoting subcritical crack propagation. Additionally, based on the PFM results, we speculate that the subcritical crack initiation and propagation happen on a broader scale, including the ice-bed contact region and its adjacent region. Our findings imply that the duration of subcritical crack propagation is short and typically ceases once the cavity length adjusts to reduced water pressure levels.

A novel boundary tracing method without enrichment for modeling cracks and their propagation

A novel direct numerical modeling method for preexisting cracks and their propagation is developed based on the integral-generalized finite difference (IGFD) method which has an excellent performance in accuracy, flexibility, and convenience in dealing with boundary conditions. “Direct modeling” means discontinuities and their propagation are directly treated as boundaries of subdomains. The standard IGFD method for continuity problems is adopted in regions far from discontinuities, while modifications are required around the discontinuities. Some special treatments such as paired nodes and birth–death algorithms are employed to characterize the existing cracks and track the crack growth path. These techniques together constitute the extended IGFD (xIGFD) method realizing the application of IGFD method in discontinuity problems. Three specific technologies, xIGFD-A, xIGFD-B, and xIGFD-C are proposed to treat the growing nodes along the discontinuities. The xIGFD-A needs to number the newly generated nodes and add degrees of freedom for propagating cracks, which would change the dimensions of the global matrices, while the xIGFD-B and the xIGFD-C do not. The successful applications of this proposed xIGFD method as well as the comparisons with existing numerical methods in a series of examples involving quasi-static propagation of a single crack and cross cracks have fully proved its effectiveness and superiority. The proposed method neither needs enriched basis functions based on prior knowledge nor requires re-meshing operations, which shows the unity and conciseness of the discretization scheme for continuity and discontinuity problems. Therefore, it has application potential in more complex practical problems like hydraulic fracturing and fatigue cracks.

Controlling the fracture response of structures via topology optimization: From delaying fracture nucleation to maximizing toughness

It is now a well-established fact that even simple topology variations can drastically change the fracture response of structures. With the objective of gaining quantitative insight into this phenomenon, this paper puts forth a density-based topology optimization framework for the fracture response of structures subjected to quasistatic mechanical loads. One of the two key features of the proposed framework is that it makes use of a complete phase-field fracture theory that has been recently shown capable of accurately describing the nucleation and propagation of brittle fracture in a wide range of nominally elastic materials under a wide range of loading conditions. The other key feature is that the framework is based on a multi-objective function that allows optimizing in a weighted manner: (i) the initial stiffness of the structure, (ii) the first instance at which fracture nucleates, and (iii) the energy dissipated by fracture propagation once fracture nucleation has occurred. The focus is on the basic case of structures made of a single homogeneous material featuring an isotropic linear elastic behavior alongside an isotropic strength surface and toughness. Novel interpolation rules are proposed for each of these three types of material properties. As a first effort to gain quantitative insight, the framework is deployed to optimize the fracture response of 2D structures wherein the fracture is bound to nucleate in three different types of regions: within the bulk, from geometric singularities (pre-existing cracks and sharp corners), and from smooth parts of the boundary. The obtained optimized structures are shown to exhibit significantly enhanced fracture behaviors compared to those of structures that are optimized according to conventional stiffness maximization. Furthermore, the results serve to reveal a variety of strengthening and toughening mechanisms. These include the promotion of highly porous structures, the formation of tension-compression asymmetric regions, and the removal of cracks and sharp corners. The particular mechanism that is preferred by a given structure, not surprisingly, correlates directly to the elastic, strength, and toughness properties of the material that is made of.

Characterization of local mechanical properties of Al/Cu Magnetic Pulse Welded joints under high strain rates using synchrotron X-ray imaging

Magnetic Pulse Welding (MPW) is a method of growing interest allowing the joining of dissimilar materials such as aluminum and copper. The global mechanical properties of the joint are often evaluated with conventional tests, using the fully welded joint. However, these cannot elucidate the local mechanical properties of the joint or its interface when subjected to high strain rates loads. Cubic samples of Al/Cu have been designed and extracted from MPW joints, in order to locally characterize the mechanical properties. Samples were exposed to high strain-rate loading using the Split-Hopkinson Pressure Bar (SHPB) coupled to ultra-fast synchrotron X-ray radiography in order to investigate related failure processes in-situ. The measurements of the interface evolution were related to the macroscopic applied load. In addition, synchrotron microtomography was performed on the samples before mechanical deformation. Aside from the feasibility proof, this work provides, for the first time, the correlation of the interfacial opening evolution and the influence of pre-existing cracks of the weld. It is observed that, the pre-existing cracks at the interface correspond to the initiation sites of interfacial separation between the two dissimilar metals.

Laser crystallization of amorphous TiO2 on polymer

The deposition of crystalline TiO2 on polymers can boost its use in a large plethora of applications. In this work, we deposited, through the low-temperature atomic layer deposition (LT-ALD) technique, a thin layer of amorphous TiO2 on polymethyl-methacrylate (PMMA), and afterwards, we induced a phase transition from amorphous to crystalline anatase by pulsed UV-laser irradiation. A pulsed UV laser with a low penetration length was used to avoid the heating and damaging of the polymeric substrate. The diffusion of the heat and the temperature behaviour were simulated and discussed. We studied experimentally the effect of the laser fluence and pulse number on the amorphous-crystal transition. We observed the presence of two thresholds for the formation of the crystalline phase: on the fluence and the number of laser shots. Moreover, widening of pre-existing cracks is observed, as soon as fluence and the number of pulses increase. To improve further the quality of the deposited layer, we introduced a ZnO interlayer between TiO2 and the PMMA substrate. The effect of this interlayer was also discussed. Lastly, wettability, as a measure of the overall quality of the layer, was measured and interpreted by using the Cassie model.

A thermodynamic framework for additive manufacturing of crystallizing polymers, Part II: Simulation of the printing of a stent

We use the theory developed by [43] to simulate in Abaqus the printing of a drug-eluting bioresorbable stent (BRS), which is used to treat a stenosed renal artery, by fused deposition modeling (FDM). The stent is assumed to be printed using a semi-crystalline polylactic acid (PLA). We control the process parameters to architect the microstructure of the stent such that the stent has an amorphous glassy phase on a crystalline backbone, which would ensure sufficient strength along with the regulated release of the drug into the bloodstream. Through this simulation, we highlight those regions in the stent geometry that should adhere to strict quality control requirements during the fabrication process. In this regard, it is observed that a preexisting crack at the core of the third layer has a very high tendency to propagate along the ‘r’ or ‘z’ direction, whereas a preexisting crack at the core of the second layer has a very high tendency to propagate along the ‘r’ direction, thus increasing the probability of an intra-layer delamination process during service. Similarly, the stent has a high chance of inter-layer delamination between the second and third layers by the mode-I mechanism for cracking. Moreover, the final cup-like warped geometry of the stent could injure the arterial wall during deployment by balloon expansion and also during service, thus increasing the risk of neointimal hyperplasia.

Fracturing failure simulations of rock discs with pre-existing cracks by numerical manifold method

Diametral compression of disc-like specimens with pre-existing cracks is widely used in the study of rock fracturing failures. In the present study, a unified numerical method, namely, numerical manifold method (NMM), is further enhanced for better simulations of rock cracking by effectively considering the friction on the new crack surfaces. Simulations of disc and semi-disc specimens with a single pre-existing crack of different inclinations prove that the improved NMM can reproduce the crack development path which agrees better with the theoretical and experimental results. Thereafter, disc specimens with vertically or horizontally distributed parallel pre-existing cracks of different numbers and distances are simulated, respectively. The derived fracturing failure patterns of the discs match the corresponding results by other numerical methods or physical experiments well. The NMM simulations also indicate that the increase of the pre-existing crack number will reduce the strength of the disc, but the number of the vertically distributed pre-existing cracks shows a much more obvious influence. Meanwhile, the increase of the pre-existing crack distance will increase the strength of the disc with horizontally distributed pre-existing cracks, while the pre-existing crack distance shows a nonmonotonic influence on the disc strength for discs with vertically distributed cracks.

Problems associated with the contrast between thermal and mechanical properties of materials

The present work consists in the study of thermal and mechanical properties of a body consisting of equal volume of two materials with different thermal and mechanical properties, placed in physical contact. The materials are subjected to a common thermal source but, due to their density and specific heat capacity, their temperatures will suffer different variations. This work studies the changes occurring near the contact zone of the two materials. In addition to different volume increases (pressure increases) in the two materials, different values of thermal conductivity must be considered and shear stresses of thermal origin, with different values in the two materials must be studied near the contact zone. The work studies the changes observed near the contact area of the two materials considering different values of heat supplied . Changes of thermal conductivity and specific heat capacity values with temperature are considered but variations with pressure increase are not. The hypothesis of introducing a third element (water) into pre-existing cracks dilated with the initial heating is also studied.

Research on direct shear test of rock-like materials with two closed pre-existing cracks of different attitudes

To investigate the failure mode and strength characteristics of rock-like materials containing two non-coplanar closed discontinues, and the influence of crack attitude on the shear failure of rock mass, a series of direct shear tests are carried out on rock-like materials containing two pre-existing cracks of different attitudes, one of them is horizontal crack, and the other is inclined crack. The specimens containing pre-existing cracks of four inclinations (0°, 45°, 135°, and 180°) and three dip angles (30°, 60°, and 90°) are prepared, and the failure form and stress-displacement curve are recorded during the tests. The results show that the attitude of the crack has a significant effect on the failure form and strength characteristics. In positive shear, the shear stress increases slowly and the crack initiation of the crack occurs relatively late, and in negative shear, the shear stress increases rapidly and the crack initiation stage appears earlier. Under the normal stress of 1 MPa, the fracture surface fluctuates along the pre-existing cracks, and the difference in shear strength of each specimen is less than 1.0 MPa. Under the normal stress of 5 MPa, the fracture surface mostly distributes along the horizontal direction, and the difference in shear strength of each specimen is about 2.0 MPa. Under the same level of normal stress, the crack initiation and peak stress vary with the attitude of pre-existing crack, and the variation trend of peak stress is changed when the normal stress increased due to the difference in failure form. It is calculated that the ratio of crack initiation stress to peak stress ranges from 0.61 to 0.80.

Effect of reinforcement types on the ball milling behavior and mechanical properties of 2024Al matrix composites

In this paper, 2024 Al matrix composites reinforced by nanocrystalline high-entropy alloy particles (NC-HEAp), SiC particles, and coarse-grained high-entropy alloy particles (CG-HEAp) were fabricated via powder metallurgy, and a comparative study of different reinforcements was deeply conducted. The results showed that reinforcement types significantly influenced the morphology of composite powders, and the grain size and interfacial condition of composites. After ball milling, irregular granular NC-HEA-Al and SiC–Al composite powders were produced while the CG-HEA-Al composite powders exhibited flake shapes, and particle size of NC-HEAp sharply decreased and was significantly smaller than the other two reinforcements. The Cu-rich diffusion layer, a high dislocation density, and a thin oxide layer were formed in the interfaces of NC-HEA-Al, SiC–Al, and CG-HEA-Al composites, respectively. The NC-HEA-Al composite possessed the highest strength due to the best effect of grain refinement, while the SiC–Al composite displayed better ductility attributed to higher work hardening rate after the yield stage than that of the NC-HEA-Al composite. The CG-HEA-Al composites showed the least attractive mechanical properties, related to a poor interface bonding and pre-existing cracks in CG-HEAp. Furthermore, the differences in strengthening mechanisms of the three composites were also discussed. This work provides guidelines for designing metal matrix composites fabricated by powder metallurgy.

Simulation of non-Fourier heat conduction in discontinuous heterogeneous materials based on the peridynamic method

Discontinuous heterogeneous materials, such as rocks and concrete, exhibit non-Fourier heat conduction. To predict this type of conduction behavior in discontinuous materials, a bond-based peridynamic heat conduction model based on the peridynamic theory was derived by introducing the dual-phase-lag model. The model was verified by the results obtained using other numerical methods. The Weibull distribution function was introduced to describe the heterogeneity in the thermal conductivity. The heat conduction in a plate with two pre-existing cracks under thermal shock was simulated. The effects of phase lag and heterogeneity were discussed. The results showed that the heat transfer rate is mainly controlled by the phase lag ?q of the heat flux. When ?q remains unchanged, the heat transfer rate increases with the increase in the phase lag ?T of the temperature gradient. The influence of cracks on the temperature field is mainly reflected in the area near the crack end. Although the temperature in the local area may be positively correlated with ?T in the short term, the long-term influence of the factor becomes increasingly weaker. The proposed method has a wide application prospect in simulating non-Fourier?s heat conduction in discontinuous heterogeneous materials.

Identification of fracturing behavior in thermally cracked granite using the frequency spectral characteristics of acoustic emission

The frequency characteristics of acoustic emission (AE) during triaxial compression of thermally cracked and unheated (“fresh”) granite samples were investigated with the aim of understanding the influence of pre-existing cracks on precursor information regarding macroscopic failure. The peak frequency during the damage process was the same for thermally cracked and fresh granites. Analysis of AE signals showed that signals with low peak frequency appeared before failure of the sample, implying the initiation of macrocracks with progressive growth of cracks. The peak amplitude of the frequency spectrum recorded in the thermally cracked samples was much lower than that in the fresh samples. This result suggests two reasons for the difference in peak amplitude: reduction in shear modulus and the attenuation filtering phenomenon caused by thermal cracks (i.e., the differences in overall bulk properties). In particular, the maximum value of peak amplitude in the low-frequency band for the thermally cracked samples was smaller than that for fresh samples. This characteristic can be related to the properties of source of AE signals, such as the stress drop and crack size. Assuming that pre-existing thermal cracks grow during the pre-failure stage, the events with low peak frequency and low peak amplitude in the heat-treated samples are interpreted as exhibiting a low stress drop for individual events. Therefore, although AE signals with low frequency can be considered as precursors to rock failure, cracking behavior suggested by events with low frequency depends on the initial damage condition of the rock sample.

Experimental investigation on the influence of a single structural plane on rockburst

The structural planes adjacent to the tunnel have a significant effect on rockburst, which has become an important engineering issue. To investigate the influence of such a rigid structural plane on rockburst, four different types of block specimens containing a through circular hole are designed with a prefabricated unfilled crack. A series of biaxial compression tests are then performed to simulate the rockburst process, followed by a detailed analysis of the strength characteristics, the strain field, the rockburst evolution process, and the microscopic characteristics of fracture surfaces. A prefabricated unfilled crack causes a decrease of the initial damage stress and the overall strength of block specimen, the earlier occurrence of rockburst but a decrease of initial rockburst intensity. Compared with the exposed crack, the non-exposed crack facilitates the occurrence of the rockburst more. Three mechanisms are proposed to explain these effects, including (i) the local stress concentration that alters the location of initial damage and the following crack propagation pattern, further affecting the location and scope of rockburst; (ii) the weakening effect that promotes rockburst evolution and inhibits rockburst intensity; and (iii) the sliding-induced secondary rockburst that contributes with significant energy release once the pre-existing crack is compacted. In light of the experimental observations, four different rockburst evolution modes are summarized to help to understand the rockburst in practical tunnels, and some engineering measures are recommended for the controlling and prevention of rockburst.

The “pure-shear” fracture test for viscoelastic elastomers and its revelation on Griffith fracture

Strikingly, “pure-shear” fracture tests have repeatedly shown that fracture nucleation in (common hydrocarbon and other types of) viscoelastic elastomers occurs at a critical stretch that is independent of the stretch rate at which the test is carried out. In this Letter, we demonstrate that this remarkable – yet overlooked – experimental finding implies that the Griffith criticality condition that governs nucleation of fracture from large pre-existing cracks in viscoelastic elastomers can be written in fact as an expression not in terms of an elusive loading-history-dependent critical tearing energy Tc, as ordinarily done, but as one exclusively in terms of the intrinsic fracture energy Gc of the elastomer.

Fracture analysis of CNT reinforced FG structures under thermo-mechanical loading using XIGA framework

This paper discusses the fracture analysis of FG structures reinforced by CNT exposed to thermo-mechanical load by means of the XIGA framework. The equivalent properties of functionally graded structures reinforced by CNT (SWCNT & MWCNT) are computed using micro-mechanics models. The volume fraction of CNT has an impact on the mechanical and thermal properties. Then, a preexisting crack is considered in the CNT reinforced FG square structure to perform the fracture analysis. The SIFs are calculated by the interaction integral method. It is noted that delaying of the fracture is possible with the increase of CNT content in FG structure.

Toughness of network materials: Structural parameters controlling damage accumulation

Many materials have a network of fibers as their main structural component and are referred to as network materials. Their strength and toughness are important in both engineering and biology. In this work we consider stochastic model fiber networks without pre-existing cracks and study their rupture mechanism. These materials soften as the crosslinks or fibers fail and exhibit either brittle failure immediately after the peak stress, or a more gradual, ductile rupture in the post peak regime. We observe that ductile failure takes place at constant energy release rate defined in the absence of pre-existing cracks as the strain derivative of the specific energy released. The network parameters controlling the energy release rate are identified and discussed in relation to the Lake-Thomas theory which applies to crack growth situations. We also observe a ductile to brittle failure transition as the network becomes more affine and relate the embrittlement to the reduction of mechanical heterogeneity of the network. Further, we confirm previous reports that the network strength scales linearly with the bond strength and with the crosslink density. The present results extend the Lake-Thomas theory to networks without pre-existing cracks which fail by the gradual accumulation of distributed damage and contribute to the development of a physical picture of failure in stochastic network materials.

Effect of reflected stress wave on dynamic crack propagation and arrest behavior of sandstone specimens under impact loading

The interaction of stress waves generated by blasting or excavation disturbance with cracks or joints significantly affects the mechanical behavior of rock masses with some pre-existing cracks. To better understand the dynamic damage evolution mechanism of fractured rock mass, the influence of stress waves on cracks in rock mass must be investigated. Thus, to study the effect of reflected stress wave on dynamic fracture behavior of fissured rock mass, a large-size arc-shape boundary single cleavage triangle (ABSCT) configuration sandstone specimen was proposed in the present study. A series of impact tests were performed on the specimen with 0°, 65°, 95°, and 125° ABSCT using the drop plate impact testing system to determine dynamic fracture properties. The test was numerically simulated using the modified finite difference software and the traditional finite element software. The effect of the reflected stress wave caused by the arc-shape boundary of the ABSCT specimen on the crack propagating speed, crack fracture toughness, and compressive stress along the crack trajectory under dynamic loads was analyzed and discussed. The results show that the ABSCT specimen has a crack arresting effect on a propagating crack. The average crack propagation speed of three specimens with arc-shape boundaries is almost 0.63 times that of the flat-bottom specimen, indicating that the arc boundary has an obvious effect on the crack propagating velocity. The average crack propagating speed decreases with the increase in arc boundary radian. The compressive stress on the crack path of three arc boundary specimens is found to be greater than that of the flat-bottom specimen. Furthermore, the crack arrest toughness is greater than the average crack propagating toughness at the arc-shape boundary specimen.

Micromechanics of rock damage and its recovery in cyclic loading conditions

SUMMARY Under compressive stress, rock ‘damage’ in the form of tensile microcracks is coupled to internal slip on microscopic interfaces, such as pre-existing cracks and grain boundaries. In order to characterize the contribution of slip to the overall damage process, we conduct triaxial cyclic loading experiments on Westerly granite, and monitor volumetric strain and elastic wave velocity and anisotropy. Cyclic loading tests show large hysteresis in axial stress–strain behaviour that can be explained entirely by slip. Elastic wave velocity variations are observed only past a yield point, and show hysteresis with incomplete reversibility upon unloading. Irrecoverable volumetric strain and elastic wave velocity drop and anisotropy increase with increasing maximum stress, are amplified during hydrostatic decompression, and decrease logarithmically with time during hydrostatic hold periods after deformation cycles. The mechanical data and change in elastic properties are used to determine the proportion of mechanical work required to generate tensile cracks, which increases as the rock approaches failure but remains small, up to around 10 per cent of the net dissipated work per cycle. The pre-rupture deformation behaviour of rocks is qualitatively compatible with the mechanics of wing cracks. While tensile cracks are the source of large changes in rock physical properties, they are not systematically associated with significant energy dissipation and their aperture and growth is primarily controlled by friction, which exerts a dominant control on rock rheology in the brittle regime. Time-dependent friction along pre-existing shear interfaces explains how tensile cracks can close under static conditions and produce recovery of elastic wave velocities over time.