The identification of crack parameters and stress intensity factors in aluminum plates under tensile loading is in the focus of the presented research. In this regard, data of strain gauges, distributed along the edges of the samples, are interpreted. In the experiments, slit-shaped notches take the role of cracks located in the interior of the specimens. Their positions, inclinations and lengths as well as the magnitudes of external loadings are identified solving the inverse problems of cracked plates and associated ...

This paper is targeted on numerical methods for accurate crack tip loading analysis and crack path prediction. Those are based on finite element calculations of the boundary value problem. Applying path-independent integrals to curved cracks in order to accurately calculate the J-integral, energy release rate (ERR) or stress intensity factors (SIF) is still not state of the art. Contours which are not confined to the crack tip require special analytical preparation and numerical treatment to supply results which are ...

The developing crack paths in heterogeneous structures are the result of the inhomogeneous state of stress. The latter stems from e.g. voids or inclusions in an elastic matrix, which are bonded either by strong or weak interfaces. Besides the stiffness of an inclusion, the kind of interface has a decisive influence on the state of stress and therefore on propagating cracks. It is experimentally proven that cracks tend to grow towards regions with lower stiffness (Tilbrook et al., 2006; Judt et al., 2015), therefore ...

Fracture and damage processes on micro- and mesoscale are combined with macroscale simulations applying numerical multiscale approaches. Cracks and grain boundaries are reproduced in cell models that take account of transand intercrystalline crack growth. The global, in general thermomechanical boundary value problem is considered within a continuum mechanics framework. Two approaches are presented combining the scales. Simple processes on the smaller level are described in analytical models including the damage ...

A new sensor concept for monitoring fatigue crack growth in technical structures is presented. It allows the in-situ determination of the position of the crack tip as well as the fracture mechanical quantities. The required data are obtained from a piezoelectric polymer film, which is attached to the surface of the monitored structure. The stress intensity factors and the crack tip position are calculated from electrical potentials obtained from a sensor array by solving the non-linear inverse problem.

In many engineering applications special requirements are directed to a material's fracture behavior and the prediction of crack paths. Especially if the material exhibits anisotropic elastic properties or fracture toughnesses, e.g. in textured or composite materials, the simulation of crack paths is challenging. Here, the application of path independent interaction integrals (I-integrals), J-, L- and M-integrals is beneficial for an accurate crack tip loading analysis. Numerical tools for the calculation of loading ...

Two approaches towards modeling damage in a brittle material caused by thermomechanical loading are presented. Bothrelyonmicrocrack growth, in the first case in ahomogeneousmatrix, in the second one at grain boundaries.Two-scale simulations e.g. of thermal shocks applied to single-phase or layered structures are performed in connection with the finite element method. Damage and crack patterns are predicted just as quantities like residual strength or critical temperature jumps.

Quasicrystals are being implemented in industry since this new class of materials appears to have some peculiar properties. However, the fracture behavior of quasicrystals is not yet clear, which could be a hindrance to its wide usage. This work adopts the generalized linear elastic framework of fracture theory in quasicrystals and develops numerical tools in a finite element environment to compute the fracture quantities. Crack growth is simulated in diverse specimens undergoing an intrinsic mixed-mode loading and ...

Ferroelectric materials are widely used in our daily life and many advanced industrial products. The understanding of their fracture behavior has been in the focus of research for decades, since the success of their application requires reliability and durability. For ferroelectric fracture behavior, different fracture criteria have been proposed and the influence of various mechanical-electric loading combinations on crack propagation have been investigated. However, the crack path and the deflection of crack ...