Sample records for sharp crack model

  1. A statistical model of brittle fracture by transgranular cleavage

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lin, Tsann; Evans, A. G.; Ritchie, R. O.

    A MODEL for brittle fracture by transgranular cleavage cracking is presented based on the application of weakest link statistics to the critical microstructural fracture mechanisms. The model permits prediction of the macroscopic fracture toughness, KI c, in single phase microstructures containing a known distribution of particles, and defines the critical distance from the crack tip at which the initial cracking event is most probable. The model is developed for unstable fracture ahead of a sharp crack considering both linear elastic and nonlinear elastic ("elastic/plastic") crack tip stress fields. Predictions are evaluated by comparison with experimental results on the low temperature flow and fracture behavior of a low carbon mild steel with a simple ferrite/grain boundary carbide microstructure.

  2. Investigation of the stress distribution around a mode 1 crack with a novel strain gradient theory

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lederer, M.; Khatibi, G.

    2017-01-01

    Stress concentrations at the tip of a sharp crack have extensively been investigated in the past century. According to the calculations of Inglis, the stress ahead of a mode 1 crack shows the characteristics of a singularity. This solution is exact in the framework of linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM). From the viewpoint of multiscale modelling, however, it is evident that the stress at the tip of a stable crack cannot be infinite, because the strengths of atomic bonds are finite. In order to prevent the problem of this singularity, a new version of strain gradient elasticity is employed here. This theory is implemented in the commercial FEM code ABAQUS through user subroutine UEL. Convergence of the model is proved through consecutive mesh refinement. In consequence, the stresses ahead of a mode 1 crack become finite. Furthermore, the model predicts a size effect in the sense “smaller is stronger”.

  3. Investigation of Local Hydrogen Uptake in Rescaled Model Occluded Sites Using Crevice Scaling Laws

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2005-04-01

    13- 8 Mo . Under anodic polarization, there is a combination of x and G in a crevice or crack where the stainless steel would be passive and remain...2004). 8 . G.A. Young, Jr., J.R. Scully, "The Effects of Test Temperature , Temper and Alloyed Copper on Hydrogen Controlled Crack Growth of an A1-Zn-Mg...sharp crack tip.[16] Precipitation-aged hardened martensitic stainless steels (i.e., Fe-Cr-Ni- Mo alloys) that release hydrolysable Cr and Fe cations

  4. Causes of Cracking of Ignition Cable

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Silsbee, F B

    1921-01-01

    The experiments described here show that the cracking at sharp bends, observed in the insulation of internal combustion engine high tension ignition wires after service, is due to a chemical attack upon the rubber by the ozone produced by the electric discharge that takes place at the surface of the cable. This cracking does not occur if the insulating material is not under tension, or if the cable is surrounded by some medium other than air. But it does occur even if the insulation is not subjected to electric stress, provided that the atmosphere near the cable contains ozone. The extent of this cracking varies greatly with the insulating material used. The cracking can be materially reduced by using braided cable and by avoiding sharp bends.

  5. Study of microstructure and fracture properties of blunt notched and sharp cracked high density polyethylene specimens.

    PubMed

    Pan, Huanyu; Devasahayam, Sheila; Bandyopadhyay, Sri

    2017-07-21

    This paper examines the effect of a broad range of crosshead speed (0.05 to 100 mm/min) and a small range of temperature (25 °C and 45 °C) on the failure behaviour of high density polyethylene (HDPE) specimens containing a) standard size blunt notch and b) standard size blunt notch plus small sharp crack - all tested in air. It was observed that the yield stress properties showed linear increase with the natural logarithm of strain rate. The stress intensity factors under blunt notch and sharp crack conditions also increased linearly with natural logarithm of the crosshead speed. The results indicate that in the practical temperature range of 25 °C and 45 °C under normal atmosphere and increasing strain rates, HDPE specimens with both blunt notches and sharp cracks possess superior fracture properties. SEM microstructure studies of fracture surfaces showed craze initiation mechanisms at lower strain rate, whilst at higher strain rates there is evidence of dimple patterns absorbing the strain energy and creating plastic deformation. The stress intensity factor and the yield strength were higher at 25 °C compared to those at 45 °C.

  6. Phase field modeling of crack propagations in fluid-saturated porous media with anisotropic surface energy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Na, S.; Sun, W.; Yoon, H.; Choo, J.

    2016-12-01

    Directional mechanical properties of layered geomaterials such as shale are important on evaluating the onset and growth of fracture for engineering applications such as hydraulic fracturing, geologic carbon storage, and geothermal recovery. In this study, a continuum phase field modeling is conducted to demonstrate the initiation and pattern of cracks in fluid-saturated porous media. The discontinuity of sharp cracks is formulated using diffusive crack phase field modeling and the anisotropic surface energy is incorporated to account for the directional fracture toughness. In particular, the orientation of bedding in geomaterials with respect to the loading direction is represented by the directional critical energy release rate. Interactions between solid skeleton and fluid are also included to analyze the mechanical behavior of fluid-saturated geologic materials through the coupled hydro-mechanical model. Based on the linear elastic phase field modeling, we also addressed how the plasticity in crack phase field influences the crack patterns by adopting the elasto-plastic model with Drucker-Prager yield criterion. Numerical examples exhibit the features of anisotropic surface energy, the interactions between solid and fluid and the effects of plasticity on crack propagations.Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program laboratory managed and operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation, for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.

  7. Phase-field modelling of ductile fracture: a variational gradient-extended plasticity-damage theory and its micromorphic regularization

    PubMed Central

    Teichtmeister, S.; Aldakheel, F.

    2016-01-01

    This work outlines a novel variational-based theory for the phase-field modelling of ductile fracture in elastic–plastic solids undergoing large strains. The phase-field approach regularizes sharp crack surfaces within a pure continuum setting by a specific gradient damage modelling. It is linked to a formulation of gradient plasticity at finite strains. The framework includes two independent length scales which regularize both the plastic response as well as the crack discontinuities. This ensures that the damage zones of ductile fracture are inside of plastic zones, and guarantees on the computational side a mesh objectivity in post-critical ranges. PMID:27002069

  8. Phase-field modelling of ductile fracture: a variational gradient-extended plasticity-damage theory and its micromorphic regularization.

    PubMed

    Miehe, C; Teichtmeister, S; Aldakheel, F

    2016-04-28

    This work outlines a novel variational-based theory for the phase-field modelling of ductile fracture in elastic-plastic solids undergoing large strains. The phase-field approach regularizes sharp crack surfaces within a pure continuum setting by a specific gradient damage modelling. It is linked to a formulation of gradient plasticity at finite strains. The framework includes two independent length scales which regularize both the plastic response as well as the crack discontinuities. This ensures that the damage zones of ductile fracture are inside of plastic zones, and guarantees on the computational side a mesh objectivity in post-critical ranges. © 2016 The Author(s).

  9. Theoretical Model of the Effect of Crack Tip Blunting on the Ultimate Tensile Strength of Welds in 2219-T87 Aluminum

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Beil, R. J.

    1982-01-01

    A theoretical model representing blunting of a crack tip radius through diffusion of vacancies is presented. The model serves as the basis for a computer program which calculates changes, due to successive weld heat passes, in the ultimate tensile strength of 2219-T81 aluminum. In order for the model to yield changes of the same order in the ultimate tensile strength as that observed experimentally, a crack tip radius of the order of .001 microns is required. Such sharp cracks could arise in the fusion zone of a weld from shrinkage cavities or decohered phase boundaries between dendrites and the eutectic phase, or, possibly, from plastic deformation due to thermal stresses encountered during the welding process. Microstructural observations up to X2000 (resolution of about .1 micron) did not, in the fusion zone, show structural details which changed significantly under the influence of a heat pass, with the exception of possible small changes in the configuration of the interdendritic eutectic and in porosity build-up in the remelt zone.

  10. Quasi-Brittle Fracture of Compact Specimens with Sharp Notches and U-Shaped Cuts

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kornev, V. M.; Demeshkin, A. G.

    2018-01-01

    A two-parameter (coupled) discrete-integral criterion of fracture is proposed. It can be used to construct fracture diagrams for compact specimens with sharp cracks. Curves separating the stress-crack length plane into three domains are plotted. These domains correspond to the absence of fracture, damage accumulation in the pre-fracture region under repeated loading, and specimen fragmentation under monotonic loading. Constants used for the analytical description of fracture diagrams for quasi-brittle materials with cracks are selected with the use of approximation of the classical stress-strain diagrams for the initial material and the critical stress intensity factor. Predictions of the proposed theory are compared with experimental results on fracture of compact specimens with different radii made of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) and solid rubber with crack-type effects in the form of U-shaped cuts.

  11. Intragranular cracking as a critical barrier for high-voltage usage of layer-structured cathode for lithium-ion batteries

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Yan, Pengfei; Zheng, Jianming; Gu, Meng

    LiNi 1/3Mn 1/3Co 1/3O 2 (NMC333) layered cathode is often fabricated as secondary particles of consisting of densely packed primary particles, which offers advantage of high energy density and alleviation of cathode side reactions/corrosions, but introduces other drawbacks, such as intergranular cracking. Here, we report unexpected observations on the nucleation and growth of intragranular cracks in the commercial NMC333 layered cathode by using advanced S/TEM. We found that the formation of the intragranular cracks is directly associated with high voltage cycling, which is an electrochemically driven and diffusion controlled process. The intragranular cracks were noticed to be characteristically initiated frommore » grain interior, a consequence of dislocation based crack incubation mechanism. This observation is in sharp contrast with the general theoretical models, predicting the initiation of intragranular cracks from grain boundaries or particle surface. As a result, our study indicates that maintain a structural stability is the key step toward high voltage operation of layered cathode materials.« less

  12. Intragranular cracking as a critical barrier for high-voltage usage of layer-structured cathode for lithium-ion batteries

    DOE PAGES

    Yan, Pengfei; Zheng, Jianming; Gu, Meng; ...

    2017-01-16

    LiNi 1/3Mn 1/3Co 1/3O 2 (NMC333) layered cathode is often fabricated as secondary particles of consisting of densely packed primary particles, which offers advantage of high energy density and alleviation of cathode side reactions/corrosions, but introduces other drawbacks, such as intergranular cracking. Here, we report unexpected observations on the nucleation and growth of intragranular cracks in the commercial NMC333 layered cathode by using advanced S/TEM. We found that the formation of the intragranular cracks is directly associated with high voltage cycling, which is an electrochemically driven and diffusion controlled process. The intragranular cracks were noticed to be characteristically initiated frommore » grain interior, a consequence of dislocation based crack incubation mechanism. This observation is in sharp contrast with the general theoretical models, predicting the initiation of intragranular cracks from grain boundaries or particle surface. As a result, our study indicates that maintain a structural stability is the key step toward high voltage operation of layered cathode materials.« less

  13. The use of roving discs and orthogonal natural frequencies for crack identification and location in rotors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Haji, Zyad N.; Olutunde Oyadiji, S.

    2014-11-01

    A variety of approaches that have been developed for the identification and localisation of cracks in a rotor system, which exploit natural frequencies, require a finite element model to obtain the natural frequencies of the intact rotor as baseline data. In fact, such approaches can give erroneous results about the location and depth of a crack if an inaccurate finite element model is used to represent an uncracked model. A new approach for the identification and localisation of cracks in rotor systems, which does not require the use of the natural frequencies of an intact rotor as a baseline data, is presented in this paper. The approach, named orthogonal natural frequencies (ONFs), is based only on the natural frequencies of the non-rotating cracked rotor in the two lateral bending vibration x-z and y-z planes. The approach uses the cracked natural frequencies in the horizontal x-z plane as the reference data instead of the intact natural frequencies. Also, a roving disc is traversed along the rotor in order to enhance the dynamics of the rotor at the cracked locations. At each spatial location of the roving disc, the two ONFs of the rotor-disc system are determined from which the corresponding ONF ratio is computed. The ONF ratios are normalised by the maximum ONF ratio to obtain normalised orthogonal natural frequency curves (NONFCs). The non-rotating cracked rotor is simulated by the finite element method using the Bernoulli-Euler beam theory. The unique characteristics of the proposed approach are the sharp, notched peaks at the crack locations but rounded peaks at non-cracked locations. These features facilitate the unambiguous identification and locations of cracks in rotors. The effects of crack depth, crack location, and mass of a roving disc are investigated. The results show that the proposed method has a great potential in the identification and localisation of cracks in a non-rotating cracked rotor.

  14. Finite element analysis-based study of fiber Bragg grating sensor for cracks detection in reinforced concrete

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Lili; Xin, Xiangjun; Song, Jun; Wang, Honggang; Sai, Yaozhang

    2018-02-01

    Fiber Bragg sensor is applied for detecting and monitoring the cracks that occur in the reinforced concrete. We use the three-dimensional finite element model to provide the three-axial stresses along the fiber Bragg sensor and then converted the stresses as a wavelength deformation of fiber Bragg grating (FBG) reflected spectrum. For the crack detection, an FBG sensor with 10-mm length is embedded in the reinforced concrete, and its reflection spectrum is measured after loading is applied to the concrete slab. As a result, the main peak wavelength and the ratio of the peak reflectivity to the maximal side-mode reflectivity of the optic-fiber grating represent the fracture severity. The fact that the sharp decreasing of the ratio of the peak reflectivity to the maximal side-mode reflectivity represents the early crack is confirmed by the theoretical calculation. The method can be used to detect the cracks in the reinforced concrete and give safety evaluation of large-scale infrastructure.

  15. Fracture Mechanical Analysis of Open Cell Ceramic Foams Under Thermal Shock Loading

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Settgast, C.; Abendroth, M.; Kuna, M.

    2016-11-01

    Ceramic foams made by replica techniques containing sharp-edged cavities, which are potential crack initiators and therefore have to be analyzed using fracture mechanical methods. The ceramic foams made of novel carbon bonded alumina are used as filters in metal melt filtration applications, where the filters are exposed to a thermal shock. During the casting process the filters experience a complex thermo-mechanical loading, which is difficult to measure. Modern numerical methods allow the simulation of such complex processes. As a simplified foam structure an open Kelvin cell is used as a representative volume element. A three-dimensional finite element model containing realistic sharp-edged cavities and three-dimensional sub-models along these sharp edges are used to compute the transient temperature, stress and strain fields at the Kelvin foam. The sharp edges are evaluated using fracture mechanical methods like the J-integral technique. The results of this study describe the influence of the pore size, relative density of the ceramic foam, the heat transfer and selected material parameters on the fracture mechanical behaviour.

  16. Damage Mechanisms and Controlled Crack Propagation in a Hot Pressed Silicon Nitride Ceramic. Ph.D. Thesis - Northwestern Univ., 1993

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Calomino, Anthony Martin

    1994-01-01

    The subcritical growth of cracks from pre-existing flaws in ceramics can severely affect the structural reliability of a material. The ability to directly observe subcritical crack growth and rigorously analyze its influence on fracture behavior is important for an accurate assessment of material performance. A Mode I fracture specimen and loading method has been developed which permits the observation of stable, subcritical crack extension in monolithic and toughened ceramics. The test specimen and procedure has demonstrated its ability to generate and stably propagate sharp, through-thickness cracks in brittle high modulus materials. Crack growth for an aluminum oxide ceramic was observed to be continuously stable throughout testing. Conversely, the fracture behavior of a silicon nitride ceramic exhibited crack growth as a series of subcritical extensions which are interrupted by dynamic propagation. Dynamic initiation and arrest fracture resistance measurements for the silicon nitride averaged 67 and 48 J/sq m, respectively. The dynamic initiation event was observed to be sudden and explosive. Increments of subcritical crack growth contributed to a 40 percent increase in fracture resistance before dynamic initiation. Subcritical crack growth visibly marked the fracture surface with an increase in surface roughness. Increments of subcritical crack growth loosen ceramic material near the fracture surface and the fracture debris is easily removed by a replication technique. Fracture debris is viewed as evidence that both crack bridging and subsurface microcracking may be some of the mechanisms contributing to the increase in fracture resistance. A Statistical Fracture Mechanics model specifically developed to address subcritical crack growth and fracture reliability is used together with a damaged zone of material at the crack tip to model experimental results. A Monte Carlo simulation of the actual experiments was used to establish a set of modeling input parameters. It was demonstrated that a single critical parameter does not characterize the conditions required for dynamic initiation. Experimental measurements for critical crack lengths, and the energy release rates exhibit significant scatter. The resulting output of the model produces good agreement with both the average values and scatter of experimental measurements.

  17. A modified Gurson-type plasticity model at finite strains: formulation, numerical analysis and phase-field coupling

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aldakheel, Fadi; Wriggers, Peter; Miehe, Christian

    2017-12-01

    The modeling of failure in ductile materials must account for complex phenomena at the micro-scale, such as nucleation, growth and coalescence of micro-voids, as well as the final rupture at the macro-scale, as rooted in the work of Gurson (J Eng Mater Technol 99:2-15, 1977). Within a top-down viewpoint, this can be achieved by the combination of a micro-structure-informed elastic-plastic model for a porous medium with a concept for the modeling of macroscopic crack discontinuities. The modeling of macroscopic cracks can be achieved in a convenient way by recently developed continuum phase field approaches to fracture, which are based on the regularization of sharp crack discontinuities, see Miehe et al. (Comput Methods Appl Mech Eng 294:486-522, 2015). This avoids the use of complex discretization methods for crack discontinuities, and can account for complex crack patterns. In this work, we develop a new theoretical and computational framework for the phase field modeling of ductile fracture in conventional elastic-plastic solids under finite strain deformation. It combines modified structures of Gurson-Tvergaard-Needelman GTN-type plasticity model outlined in Tvergaard and Needleman (Acta Metall 32:157-169, 1984) and Nahshon and Hutchinson (Eur J Mech A Solids 27:1-17, 2008) with a new evolution equation for the crack phase field. An important aspect of this work is the development of a robust Explicit-Implicit numerical integration scheme for the highly nonlinear rate equations of the enhanced GTN model, resulting with a low computational cost strategy. The performance of the formulation is underlined by means of some representative examples, including the development of the experimentally observed cup-cone failure mechanism.

  18. The effect of crack blunting on the competition between dislocation nucleation and cleavage

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fischer, Lisa L.; Beltz, Glenn E.

    2001-03-01

    To better understand the ductile versus brittle fracture behavior of crystalline materials, attention should be directed towards physically realistic crack geometries. Currently, continuum models of ductile versus brittle behavior are typically based on the analysis of a pre-existing sharp crack in order to use analytical solutions for the stress fields around the crack tip. This paper examines the effects of crack blunting on the competition between dislocation nucleation and atomic decohesion using continuum methods. We accomplish this by assuming that the crack geometry is elliptical, which has the primary advantage that the stress fields are available in closed form. These stress field solutions are then used to calculate the thresholds for dislocation nucleation and atomic decohesion. A Peierls-type framework is used to obtain the thresholds for dislocation nucleation, in which the region of the slip plane ahead of the crack develops a distribution of slip discontinuity prior to nucleation. This slip distribution increases as the applied load is increased until an instability is reached and the governing integral equation can no longer be solved. These calculations are carried out for various crack tip geometries to ascertain the effects of crack tip blunting. The thresholds for atomic decohesion are calculated using a cohesive zone model, in which the region of the crack front develops a distribution of opening displacement prior to atomic decohesion. Again, loading of the elliptical crack tip eventually results in an instability, which marks the onset of crack advance. These calculations are carried out for various crack tip geometries. The results of these separate calculations are presented as the critical energy release rates versus the crack tip radius of curvature for a given crack length. The two threshold curves are compared simultaneously to determine which failure mode is energetically more likely at various crack tip curvatures. From these comparisons, four possible types of material fracture behavior are identified: intrinsically brittle, quasi-brittle, intrinsically ductile, and quasi-ductile. Finally, real material examples are discussed.

  19. Three-dimensional vibrations of cylindrical elastic solids with V-notches and sharp radial cracks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McGee, O. G.; Kim, J. W.

    2010-02-01

    This paper provides free vibration data for cylindrical elastic solids, specifically thick circular plates and cylinders with V-notches and sharp radial cracks, for which no extensive previously published database is known to exist. Bending moment and shear force singularities are known to exist at the sharp reentrant corner of a thick V-notched plate under transverse vibratory motion, and three-dimensional (3-D) normal and transverse shear stresses are known to exist at the sharp reentrant terminus edge of a V-notched cylindrical elastic solid under 3-D free vibration. A theoretical analysis is done in this work utilizing a variational Ritz procedure including these essential singularity effects. The procedure incorporates a complete set of admissible algebraic-trigonometric polynomials in conjunction with an admissible set of " edge functions" that explicitly model the 3-D stress singularities which exist along a reentrant terminus edge (i.e., α>180°) of the V-notch. The first set of polynomials guarantees convergence to exact frequencies, as sufficient terms are retained. The second set of edge functions—in addition to representing the corner stress singularities—substantially accelerates the convergence of frequency solutions. This is demonstrated through extensive convergence studies that have been carried out by the investigators. Numerical analysis has been carried out and the results have been given for cylindrical elastic solids with various V-notch angles and depths. The relative depth of the V-notch is defined as (1- c/ a), and the notch angle is defined as (360°- α). For a very small notch angle (1° or less), the notch may be regarded as a "sharp radial crack." Accurate (four significant figure) frequencies are presented for a wide spectrum of notch angles (360°- α), depths (1- c/ a), and thickness ratios ( a/ h for plates and h/ a for cylinders). An extended database of frequencies for completely free thick sectorial, semi-circular, and segmented plates and cylinders are also reported herein as interesting special cases. A generalization of the elasticity-based Ritz analysis and findings applicable here is an arbitrarily shaped V-notched cylindrical solid, being a surface traced out by a family of generatrix, which pass through the circumference of an arbitrarily shaped V-notched directrix curve, r( θ), several of which are described for future investigations and close extensions of this work.

  20. Mixing, Combustion, and Other Interface Dominated Flows; Paragraphs 3.2.1 A, B, C and 3.2.2 A

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-04-09

    Condensed Matter Physics , (12 2010): 43401. doi: H. Lim, Y. Yu, J. Glimm, X. L. Li, D.H. Sharp. Subgrid Models for Mass and Thermal Diffusion in...zone and a series of radial cracks in solid plates hit by high velocity projectiles). • Only 2D dimensional models • Serial codes for running on single ...exter- nal parallel packages TAO and Global Arrays, developed within DOE high performance computing initiatives. A Schwartz-type overlapping domain

  1. The Effect of Sensitization on the Stress Corrosion Cracking of Aluminum Alloy 5456

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2012-06-01

    ship movement in the form of hogging and sagging, machinery vibration, or payload; or residual, caused by welds , bolts, or rivets. A material’s...tensile stress results in crack formation. Common surface flaws found on ships are weld joints, surface scratches, and sharp fillets. In addition...with the crack. The anodic reaction for the anodic oxidation of aluminum to form trivalent aluminum cations is described by Equation (4). Al  Al3

  2. Brittle fracture in viscoelastic materials as a pattern-formation process

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fleck, M.; Pilipenko, D.; Spatschek, R.; Brener, E. A.

    2011-04-01

    A continuum model of crack propagation in brittle viscoelastic materials is presented and discussed. Thereby, the phenomenon of fracture is understood as an elastically induced nonequilibrium interfacial pattern formation process. In this spirit, a full description of a propagating crack provides the determination of the entire time dependent shape of the crack surface, which is assumed to be extended over a finite and self-consistently selected length scale. The mechanism of crack propagation, that is, the motion of the crack surface, is then determined through linear nonequilibrium transport equations. Here we consider two different mechanisms, a first-order phase transformation and surface diffusion. We give scaling arguments showing that steady-state solutions with a self-consistently selected propagation velocity and crack shape can exist provided that elastodynamic or viscoelastic effects are taken into account, whereas static elasticity alone is not sufficient. In this respect, inertial effects as well as viscous damping are identified to be sufficient crack tip selection mechanisms. Exploring the arising description of brittle fracture numerically, we study steady-state crack propagation in the viscoelastic and inertia limit as well as in an intermediate regime, where both effects are important. The arising free boundary problems are solved by phase field methods and a sharp interface approach using a multipole expansion technique. Different types of loading, mode I, mode III fracture, as well as mixtures of them, are discussed.

  3. Evaluation of a Crack-Growth Gage for Monitoring Possible Structural Fatigue-Crack Growth

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1978-02-01

    the gages and structural components and tested the specimens. Appreciation is also extended to Dennis E. Macha for his effort in making the laser...SDM Conference AIAA/ASME, San Diego, California, March 21-23, 1977. 20 AFML-TR-77-233 REFERENCES (CONTINUED) 12. D. E. Macha , W. N. Sharpe, Jr., and A

  4. Outcome of Endodontically Treated Teeth Diagnosed With Cracked Tooth

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-06-01

    However, variable symptoms complicate the diagnosis (9). In a study of 32 patients presenting with diffuse longstanding orofacial pain eventually...883-92. 22)Byrnjulsen A, Fristad I, Grevstad T, Hals-Kvinnsland I. Incompletely fractured teeth associated with diffuse longstanding orofacial pain ...cracked tooth is highly associated with discomfort. Patients often describe a momentary, sudden, sharp, lancinating pain that results in continuous tooth

  5. Redistribution of Welding Residual Stresses of Crack Tip Opening Displacement Specimen by Local Compression.

    PubMed

    Kim, Young-Gon; Song, Kuk-Hyun; Lee, Dong-Hoon; Joo, Sung-Min

    2018-03-01

    The demand of crack tip opening displacement (CTOD) test which evaluates fracture toughness of a cracked material is very important to ensure the stability of structure under severe service environment. The validity of the CTOD test result is judged using several criterions of the specification standards. One of them is the artificially generated fatigue pre-crack length inside the specimen. For acceptable CTOD test results, fatigue pre-crack must have a reasonable sharp crack front. The propagation of fatigue crack started from the tip of the machined notch, which might have propagated irregularly due to residual stress field. To overcome this problem, test codes suggest local compression method, reversed bending method and stepwise high-R ratio method to reduce the disparity of residual stress distribution inside the specimen. In this paper, the relation between the degree of local compression and distribution of welding residual stress has been analyzed by finite element analyses in order to determine the amount of effective local compression of the test piece. Analysis results show that initial welding residual stress is dramatically varied three-dimensionally while cutting, notch machining and local compressing due to the change of internal restraint force. From the simulation result, the authors find that there is an optimum amount of local compression to modify regularly for generating fatigue pre-crack propagation. In the case of 0.5% compressions of the model width is the most effective for uniforming residual stress distribution.

  6. Numerical modelling of orthogonal cutting: application to woodworking with a bench plane.

    PubMed

    Nairn, John A

    2016-06-06

    A numerical model for orthogonal cutting using the material point method was applied to woodcutting using a bench plane. The cutting process was modelled by accounting for surface energy associated with wood fracture toughness for crack growth parallel to the grain. By using damping to deal with dynamic crack propagation and modelling all contact between wood and the plane, simulations could initiate chip formation and proceed into steady-state chip propagation including chip curling. Once steady-state conditions were achieved, the cutting forces became constant and could be determined as a function of various simulation variables. The modelling details included a cutting tool, the tool's rake and grinding angles, a chip breaker, a base plate and a mouth opening between the base plate and the tool. The wood was modelled as an anisotropic elastic-plastic material. The simulations were verified by comparison to an analytical model and then used to conduct virtual experiments on wood planing. The virtual experiments showed interactions between depth of cut, chip breaker location and mouth opening. Additional simulations investigated the role of tool grinding angle, tool sharpness and friction.

  7. Dynamic toughness in elastic nonlinear viscous solids

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tang, S.; Guo, T. F.; Cheng, L.

    2009-02-01

    This work addresses the interrelationship among dissipative mechanisms—material separation in the fracture process zone (FPZ), nonelastic deformation in the surrounding background material and kinetic energy—and how they affect the macroscopic dynamic fracture toughness as well as the limiting crack speed in strain rate sensitive materials. To this end, a micromechanics-based model for void growth in a nonlinear viscous solid is incorporated into a microporous strip of cell elements that forms the FPZ. The latter is surrounded by background material described by conventional constitutive relations. In the first part of the paper, the background material is assumed to be purely elastic. Here, the computed dynamic fracture toughness is a convex function of crack velocity. In the second part, the background material as well as the FPZ are described by similar rate-sensitivity parameters. Voids grow in the strain rate strengthened FPZ as the crack velocity increases. Consequently, the work of separation increases. By contrast, the inelastic dissipation in the background material appears to be a concave function of crack velocity. At the lower crack velocity regime, where dissipation in the background material is dominant, toughness decreases as crack velocity increases. At high crack velocities, inelastic deformation enhanced by the inertial force can cause a sharp increase in toughness. Here, the computed toughness increases rapidly with crack velocity. There exist regimes where the toughness is a non-monotonic function of the crack velocity. Two length scales—the width of the FPZ and the ratio of the shear wave speed to the reference strain rate—can be shown to strongly affect the dynamic fracture toughness. Our computational simulations can predict experimental data for fracture toughness vs. crack velocity reported in several studies for amorphous polymeric materials.

  8. The Effect of Surface Coatings on the Fatigue Strength of Aluminum Alloys

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1981-09-01

    Satec Models SF-2U-144 and -145 fatigue testing machines. The abrasion (wear) resistance, the thickness, and the corrosion resistance of the specimens...former coupons; therefore, sharp ed-, es should be finished or rounded by shot peening or sandblasting in order to diminish the possibility of crack...propagation. "Anodic Coatings for Aluminum and Aluminum Alloys%" Military Specification MIL-A-8625C. 6 Satec Systems, Inc.;Grove City, PA 16127. 3 41: I! ,I

  9. Influence of Crack-Tip Configurations on the Fracture Response of 0.04-Inch Thick 2024-T3 Aluminum Alloy Sheet

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Johnston, William M.; Newman, James C. (Technical Monitor)

    2002-01-01

    A series of fracture tests were conducted on Middle-crack tension M(T) and compact tension C(T) specimens to determine the effects of specimen type, specimen width, notch tip sharpness and buckling on the fracture behavior of cracked thin sheet (0.04 inch thick) 2024-T3 aluminum alloy material. A series of M(T) specimens were tested with three notch tip configurations: (1) a fatigue pre-cracked notch, (2) a 0.010-inch-diameter wire electrical discharge machined (EDM) notch, and (3) a EDM notch sharpened with a razor blade. The test procedures are discussed and the experimental results for failure stress, load vs. crack extension and the material stress-strain response are reported.

  10. Athermal brittle-to-ductile transition in amorphous solids.

    PubMed

    Dauchot, Olivier; Karmakar, Smarajit; Procaccia, Itamar; Zylberg, Jacques

    2011-10-01

    Brittle materials exhibit sharp dynamical fractures when meeting Griffith's criterion, whereas ductile materials blunt a sharp crack by plastic responses. Upon continuous pulling, ductile materials exhibit a necking instability that is dominated by a plastic flow. Usually one discusses the brittle to ductile transition as a function of increasing temperature. We introduce an athermal brittle to ductile transition as a function of the cutoff length of the interparticle potential. On the basis of extensive numerical simulations of the response to pulling the material boundaries at a constant speed we offer an explanation of the onset of ductility via the increase in the density of plastic modes as a function of the potential cutoff length. Finally we can resolve an old riddle: In experiments brittle materials can be strained under grip boundary conditions and exhibit a dynamic crack when cut with a sufficiently long initial slot. Mysteriously, in molecular dynamics simulations it appeared that cracks refused to propagate dynamically under grip boundary conditions, and continuous pulling was necessary to achieve fracture. We argue that this mystery is removed when one understands the distinction between brittle and ductile athermal amorphous materials.

  11. Metrics for linear kinematic features in sea ice

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Levy, G.; Coon, M.; Sulsky, D.

    2006-12-01

    The treatment of leads as cracks or discontinuities (see Coon et al. presentation) requires some shift in the procedure of evaluation and comparison of lead-resolving models and their validation against observations. Common metrics used to evaluate ice model skills are by and large an adaptation of a least square "metric" adopted from operational numerical weather prediction data assimilation systems and are most appropriate for continuous fields and Eilerian systems where the observations and predictions are commensurate. However, this class of metrics suffers from some flaws in areas of sharp gradients and discontinuities (e.g., leads) and when Lagrangian treatments are more natural. After a brief review of these metrics and their performance in areas of sharp gradients, we present two new metrics specifically designed to measure model accuracy in representing linear features (e.g., leads). The indices developed circumvent the requirement that both the observations and model variables be commensurate (i.e., measured with the same units) by considering the frequencies of the features of interest/importance. We illustrate the metrics by scoring several hypothetical "simulated" discontinuity fields against the lead interpreted from RGPS observations.

  12. The Role of Crack Formation in Chevron-Notched Four-Point Bend Specimens

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Calomino, Anthony M.; Ghosn, Louis J.

    1994-01-01

    The failure sequence following crack formation in a chevron-notched four-point bend 1 specimen is examined in a parametric study using the Bluhm slice synthesis model. Premature failure resulting from crack formation forces which exceed those required to propagate a crack beyond alpha (min) is examined together with the critical crack length and critical crack front length. An energy based approach is used to establish factors which forecast the tendency of such premature failure due to crack formation for any selected chevron-notched geometry. A comparative study reveals that, for constant values of alpha (1) and alpha (0), the dimensionless beam compliance and stress intensity factor are essentially independent of specimen width and thickness. The chevron tip position, alpha (0) has its primary effect on the force required to initiate a sharp crack. Small values for alpha (0) maximize the stable region length, however, the premature failure tendency is also high for smaller alpha (0) values. Improvements in premature failure resistance can be realized for larger values of alpha (0) with only a minor reduction in the stable region length. The stable region length is also maximized for larger chevron based positions, alpha (1) but the chance for premature failure is also raised. Smaller base positions improve the premature failure resistance with only minor decreases in the stable region length. Chevron geometries having a good balance of premature failure resistance, stable region length, and crack front length are 0.20 less than or equal to alpha (0) is less than or equal to 0.30 and 0.70 is less than or equal to alpha (1) is less than or equal to 0.80.

  13. A method for evaluating the fatigue crack growth in spiral notch torsion fracture toughness test

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Wang, Jy -An John; Tan, Ting

    The spiral notch torsion test (SNTT) has been a recent breakthrough in measuring fracture toughness for different materials, including metals, ceramics, concrete, and polymers composites. Due to its high geometry constraint and unique loading condition, SNTT can be used to measure the fracture toughness with smaller specimens without concern of size effects. The application of SNTT to brittle materials has been proved to be successful. The micro-cracks induced by original notches in brittle materials could ensure crack growth in SNTT samples. Therefore, no fatigue pre-cracks are needed. The application of SNTT to the ductile material to generate valid toughness datamore » will require a test sample with sufficient crack length. Fatigue pre-crack growth techniques are employed to introduce sharp crack front into the sample. Previously, only rough calculations were applied to estimate the compliance evolution in the SNTT crack growth process, while accurate quantitative descriptions have never been attempted. This generates an urgent need to understand the crack evolution during the SNTT fracture testing process of ductile materials. Here, the newly developed governing equations for SNTT crack growth estimate are discussed in the paper.« less

  14. A method for evaluating the fatigue crack growth in spiral notch torsion fracture toughness test

    DOE PAGES

    Wang, Jy -An John; Tan, Ting

    2018-05-21

    The spiral notch torsion test (SNTT) has been a recent breakthrough in measuring fracture toughness for different materials, including metals, ceramics, concrete, and polymers composites. Due to its high geometry constraint and unique loading condition, SNTT can be used to measure the fracture toughness with smaller specimens without concern of size effects. The application of SNTT to brittle materials has been proved to be successful. The micro-cracks induced by original notches in brittle materials could ensure crack growth in SNTT samples. Therefore, no fatigue pre-cracks are needed. The application of SNTT to the ductile material to generate valid toughness datamore » will require a test sample with sufficient crack length. Fatigue pre-crack growth techniques are employed to introduce sharp crack front into the sample. Previously, only rough calculations were applied to estimate the compliance evolution in the SNTT crack growth process, while accurate quantitative descriptions have never been attempted. This generates an urgent need to understand the crack evolution during the SNTT fracture testing process of ductile materials. Here, the newly developed governing equations for SNTT crack growth estimate are discussed in the paper.« less

  15. A unified phase-field theory for the mechanics of damage and quasi-brittle failure

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wu, Jian-Ying

    2017-06-01

    Being one of the most promising candidates for the modeling of localized failure in solids, so far the phase-field method has been applied only to brittle fracture with very few exceptions. In this work, a unified phase-field theory for the mechanics of damage and quasi-brittle failure is proposed within the framework of thermodynamics. Specifically, the crack phase-field and its gradient are introduced to regularize the sharp crack topology in a purely geometric context. The energy dissipation functional due to crack evolution and the stored energy functional of the bulk are characterized by a crack geometric function of polynomial type and an energetic degradation function of rational type, respectively. Standard arguments of thermodynamics then yield the macroscopic balance equation coupled with an extra evolution law of gradient type for the crack phase-field, governed by the aforesaid constitutive functions. The classical phase-field models for brittle fracture are recovered as particular examples. More importantly, the constitutive functions optimal for quasi-brittle failure are determined such that the proposed phase-field theory converges to a cohesive zone model for a vanishing length scale. Those general softening laws frequently adopted for quasi-brittle failure, e.g., linear, exponential, hyperbolic and Cornelissen et al. (1986) ones, etc., can be reproduced or fit with high precision. Except for the internal length scale, all the other model parameters can be determined from standard material properties (i.e., Young's modulus, failure strength, fracture energy and the target softening law). Some representative numerical examples are presented for the validation. It is found that both the internal length scale and the mesh size have little influences on the overall global responses, so long as the former can be well resolved by sufficiently fine mesh. In particular, for the benchmark tests of concrete the numerical results of load versus displacement curve and crack paths both agree well with the experimental data, showing validity of the proposed phase-field theory for the modeling of damage and quasi-brittle failure in solids.

  16. Strain energy density and surface layer energy for a crack-like ellipse

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kipp, M. E.; Sih, G. C.

    1973-01-01

    Some of the fundamental concepts of sharp crack fracture criteria are applied to cracks and narrow ellipses. The strain energy density theory is extended to notch boundaries, where the energy in a surface layer is calculated and the location of failure initiation is determined. The concept of a core region near the notch tip, and its consequences, are examined in detail. The example treated is that of an elliptical cavity loaded uniformly at a large distance from the hole, and at an angle to the hole; the results are shown to approach that of the crack solution for narrow ellipses, and to display quite satisfactory agreement with recently published experimental data under both tensile and compressive loading conditions. Results also indicate that in globally unstable configurations in brittle materials, the original loading and notch geometry are sufficient to predict the subsequent crack trajectory with considerable accuracy.

  17. Multiscale approach to micro/macro fatigue crack growth in 2024-T3 aluminum panel

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sih, G. C.

    2014-01-01

    When two contacting solid surfaces are tightly closed and invisible to the naked eye, the discontinuity is said to be microscopic regardless of whether its length is short or long. By this definition, it is not sufficient to distinguish the difference between a micro- and macro-crack by using the length parameter. Microcracks in high strength metal alloys have been known to be several centimeters or longer. Considered in this work is a dual scale fatigue crack growth model where the main crack can be micro or macro but there prevails an inherent microscopic tip region that is damaged depending on the irregularities of the microstructure. This region is referred to as the "micro-tip" and can be simulated by a sharp wedge with different angles in addition to mixed boundary conditions. The combination is sufficient to model microscopic entities in the form of voids, inclusions, precipitations, interfaces, in addition to subgrain imperfections, or cluster of dislocations. This is accomplished by using the method of "singularity representation" such that closed form asymptotic solutions can be obtained for the development of fatigue crack growth rate relations with three parameters. They include: (1) the crack surface tightness σ* represented by σ o/ σ ∞ = 0.3-0.5 for short cracks in region I, and 0.1-0.2 for long cracks in region II, (2) the micro/macro material properties reflected by the shear modulus ratio µ* (=µmicro/µmacro varying between 2 and 5) and (3) the most sensitive parameter d* being the micro-tip characteristic length d* (= d/ d o) whose magnitude decreases in the direction of region I→II. The existing fatigue crack growth data for 2024-T3 and 7075-T6 aluminum sheets are used to reinterpret the two-parameter d a/d N= C(Δ K) n relation where Δ K has now been re-derived for a microcrack with surfaces tightly in contact. The contact force will depend on the mean stress σm or mean stress ratio R as the primary parameter and on the stress amplitude σ a as the secondary parameter.

  18. Spatial organization of seismicity and fracture pattern at the boundary between Alps and Dinarides

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bressan, Gianni; Ponton, Maurizio; Rossi, Giuliana; Urban, Sandro

    2016-04-01

    The paper affords the study of the spatial organization of seismicity in the easternmost region of the Alps (Friuli, in NE Italy and W Slovenia), dominated by the interference between the Alpine and the Dinaric tectonic systems. Two non-conventional methods of spatial analysis are used: fractal analysis and principal component analysis (PCA). The fractal analysis helps to discriminate the cases in which hypocentres clearly define a plane, from the ones in which hypocenter distribution tends to the planarity, without reaching it. The PCA analysis is used to infer the orientation of planes fitting through earthquake foci, or the direction of propagation of the hypocentres. Furthermore, we study the spatial seismicity pattern at the shallow depths in the context of a general damage model, through the crack density distribution. The results of the three methods concur to a complex and composite model of fracturing in the region. The hypocentre pattern fills only partially a plane, i.e. has a fractal dimension close to 2. The three exceptions regard planes with Dinaric trend, without interference with Alpine lineaments. The shallowest depth range (0-10 km depth) is characterized by the activation of planes with variable orientations, reflecting the interference between the Dinaric and the Alpine tectonic structures, and closely bound to the variation of the mechanical properties of the crust. The seismicity occurs mostly in areas characterized by a variation from low to moderate crack density, indicating the sharp transition from zones of low damage to zones of moderate damage. Low crack density indicates the presence of more competent rocks capable of sustaining high strain energy while high crack density areas pertain to highly fractured rocks that cannot store high strain energy. Brittle failure, i.e. seismic activity, is favoured within the sharp transitions from low to moderate crack density zones. The orientation of the planes depicting the seismic activity, indeed, coincides with the orientation of the faults generated along the flanks of past carbonate platforms both in Friuli and western Slovenia. In the deepest depth range (10-20-km depth), on the contrary, the study evidences the dominance of the tectonic Dinaric system to the NW of the External Dinarides, in depth. This depth interval is characterized by a more organized pattern of seismicity. Seismic events mainly locate on the Dinaric lineaments in the northern and eastern parts of the region considered, while on Alpine thrusts in the western and southern parts.

  19. Kinetic Energy Corrections for Slip-Stick Behavior in Brittle Adhesives

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Macon, David J.; Anderson, Greg L.; McCool, Alex (Technical Monitor)

    2001-01-01

    Fracture mechanics is the study of the failure of a body that contains a flaw. In the energy balance approach to fracture mechanics, contributions from the external work and elastic strain energy are accounted for but rarely are corrections for the kinetic energy given. Under slip-stick conditions, part of the external work is expended as kinetic energy. The magnitude of this kinetic energy depends upon the shape of the crack. A specimen with a blunt crack will fail at a high load and the crack will catastrophically travel through the material until the kinetic energy is dissipated. Material with a sharp crack will fail at a lower load but will still be catastrophic in nature. A kinetic term is incorporated into the energy balance approach. This term accounts for the velocity of the crack after failure and how far the crack travels before arresting. This correction makes the shape of the initiation crack irrelevant. When applied to data generated by tapered double cantilever beam specimens under slip-stick conditions, the scatter in the measured critical strain energy release rate is significantly reduced.

  20. Surface aspects of pitting and stress corrosion cracking

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Truhan, J. S., Jr.; Hehemann, R. F.

    1977-01-01

    The pitting and stress corrosion cracking of a stable austenitic stainless steel in aqueous chloride environments were investigated using a secondary ion mass spectrometer as the primary experimental technique. The surface concentration of hydrogen, oxygen, the hydroxide, and chloride ion, magnesium or sodium, chromium and nickel were measured as a function of potential in both aqueous sodium chloride and magnesium chloride environments at room temperature and boiling temperatures. It was found that, under anodic conditions, a sharp increase in the chloride concentration was observed to occur for all environmental conditions. The increase may be associated with the formation of an iron chloride complex. Higher localized chloride concentrations at pits and cracks were also detected with an electron microprobe.

  1. A Novel Videography Method for Generating Crack-Extension Resistance Curves in Small Bone Samples

    PubMed Central

    Katsamenis, Orestis L.; Jenkins, Thomas; Quinci, Federico; Michopoulou, Sofia; Sinclair, Ian; Thurner, Philipp J.

    2013-01-01

    Assessment of bone quality is an emerging solution for quantifying the effects of bone pathology or treatment. Perhaps one of the most important parameters characterising bone quality is the toughness behaviour of bone. Particularly, fracture toughness, is becoming a popular means for evaluating bone quality. The method is moving from a single value approach that models bone as a linear-elastic material (using the stress intensity factor, K) towards full crack extension resistance curves (R-curves) using a non-linear model (the strain energy release rate in J-R curves). However, for explanted human bone or small animal bones, there are difficulties in measuring crack-extension resistance curves due to size constraints at the millimetre and sub-millimetre scale. This research proposes a novel “whitening front tracking” method that uses videography to generate full fracture resistance curves in small bone samples where crack propagation cannot typically be observed. Here we present this method on sharp edge notched samples (<1 mm×1 mm×Length) prepared from four human femora tested in three-point bending. Each sample was loaded in a mechanical tester with the crack propagation recorded using videography and analysed using an algorithm to track the whitening (damage) zone. Using the “whitening front tracking” method, full R-curves and J-R curves could be generated for these samples. The curves for this antiplane longitudinal orientation were similar to those found in the literature, being between the published longitudinal and transverse orientations. The proposed technique shows the ability to generate full “crack” extension resistance curves by tracking the whitening front propagation to overcome the small size limitations and the single value approach. PMID:23405186

  2. 29 CFR 1910.137 - Electrical protective equipment.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... Labor Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION... produced by ozone on rubber under mechanical stress into a series of interlacing cracks); (C) An embedded... avoidance of handling sharp objects. (B) Any other class of glove may be used for similar work without...

  3. 29 CFR 1910.137 - Electrical protective equipment.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... Labor Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION... produced by ozone on rubber under mechanical stress into a series of interlacing cracks); (C) An embedded... avoidance of handling sharp objects. (B) Any other class of glove may be used for similar work without...

  4. 29 CFR 1910.137 - Electrical protective equipment.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... Labor Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION... produced by ozone on rubber under mechanical stress into a series of interlacing cracks); (C) An embedded... avoidance of handling sharp objects. (B) Any other class of glove may be used for similar work without...

  5. 29 CFR 1910.137 - Electrical protective equipment.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... Labor Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION... produced by ozone on rubber under mechanical stress into a series of interlacing cracks); (C) An embedded... avoidance of handling sharp objects. (B) Any other class of glove may be used for similar work without...

  6. 29 CFR 1910.137 - Electrical protective equipment.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... Labor Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION... produced by ozone on rubber under mechanical stress into a series of interlacing cracks); (C) An embedded... avoidance of handling sharp objects. (B) Any other class of glove may be used for similar work without...

  7. Temperature measurement and damage detection in concrete beams exposed to fire using PPP-BOTDA based fiber optic sensors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bao, Yi; Hoehler, Matthew S.; Smith, Christopher M.; Bundy, Matthew; Chen, Genda

    2017-10-01

    In this study, Brillouin scattering-based distributed fiber optic sensor is implemented to measure temperature distributions and detect cracks in concrete structures subjected to fire for the first time. A telecommunication-grade optical fiber is characterized as a high temperature sensor with pulse pre-pump Brillouin optical time domain analysis (PPP-BODTA), and implemented to measure spatially-distributed temperatures in reinforced concrete beams in fire. Four beams were tested to failure in a natural gas fueled compartment fire, each instrumented with one fused silica, single-mode optical fiber as a distributed sensor and four thermocouples. Prior to concrete cracking, the distributed temperature was validated at locations of the thermocouples by a relative difference of less than 9%. The cracks in concrete can be identified as sharp peaks in the temperature distribution since the cracks are locally filled with hot air. Concrete cracking did not affect the sensitivity of the distributed sensor but concrete spalling broke the optical fiber loop required for PPP-BOTDA measurements.

  8. Bridge-indentation precracking of glass bars

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Lue, J.L.; Scattergood, R.O.

    1993-07-01

    Bridge indentation precracking was first reported by Sadahiro et al., and has been used by a number of subsequent investigators. The procedure involves placing a half-penny starter crack, formed by Vickers indentation, at the center of the bottom surface of a rectangular bar specimen. The bar is loaded between pusher and anvil platens. The bridge span S produces tensile bending stress on the bottom surface of the bar, which contains the starter crack. With increasing load, the crack grows stably outward and inward, and at a certain load the crack will propagate unstably (pop-in) to a straight, through-section crack ofmore » length c. The method is very convenient for producing sharp, through-section precracks in ceramic bars without the need for saw cutting or fatigue cycling. However, the effects of bridge geometry and friction on the precracking results will be presented here which point to an important influence of the friction between the specimen and anvil platens.« less

  9. Fracture toughness of brittle materials determined with chevron notch specimens

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Shannon, J. L., Jr.; Bubsey, R. T.; Pierce, W. S.; Munz, D.

    1981-01-01

    Short bar, short rod, and four-point-bend chevron-notch specimens were used to determine the plane strain fracture toughness of hot-pressed silicon nitride and sintered aluminum oxide brittle ceramics. The unique advantages of this specimen type are: (1) the production of a sharp natural crack during the early stage of test loading, so that no precracking is required, and (2) the load passes through a maximum at a constant, material-independent crack length-to-width ratio for a specific geometry, so that no post-test crack measurement is required. The plane strain fracture toughness is proportional to the maximum test load and functions of the specimen geometry and elastic compliance. Although results obtained for silicon nitride are in good mutual agreement and relatively free of geometry and size effects, aluminum oxide results were affected in both these respects by the rising crack growth resistance curve of the material.

  10. Temperature Measurement and Damage Detection in Concrete Beams Exposed to Fire Using PPP-BOTDA Based Fiber Optic Sensors.

    PubMed

    Bao, Yi; Hoehler, Matthew S; Smith, Christopher M; Bundy, Matthew; Chen, Genda

    2017-10-01

    In this study, distributed fiber optic sensors based on pulse pre-pump Brillouin optical time domain analysis (PPP-BODTA) are characterized and deployed to measure spatially-distributed temperatures in reinforced concrete specimens exposed to fire. Four beams were tested to failure in a natural gas fueled compartment fire, each instrumented with one fused silica, single-mode optical fiber as a distributed sensor and four thermocouples. Prior to concrete cracking, the distributed temperature was validated at locations of the thermocouples by a relative difference of less than 9 %. The cracks in concrete can be identified as sharp peaks in the temperature distribution since the cracks are locally filled with hot air. Concrete cracking did not affect the sensitivity of the distributed sensor but concrete spalling broke the optical fiber loop required for PPP-BOTDA measurements.

  11. Phase-field study of grain boundary tracking behavior in crack-seal microstructures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ankit, Kumar; Nestler, Britta; Selzer, Michael; Reichardt, Mathias

    2013-12-01

    In order to address the growth of crystals in veins, a multiphase-field model is used to capture the dynamics of crystals precipitating from a super-saturated solution. To gain a detailed understanding of the polycrystal growth phenomena in veins, we investigate the influence of various boundary conditions on crystal growth. In particular, we analyze the formation of vein microstructures resulting from the free growth of crystals as well as crack-sealing processes. We define the crystal symmetry by considering the anisotropy in surface energy to simulate crystals with flat facets and sharp corners. The resulting growth competition of crystals with different orientations is studied to deduce a consistent orientation selection rule in the free-growth regime. Using crack-sealing simulations, we correlate the grain boundary tracking behavior depending on the relative rate of crack opening, opening trajectory, initial grain size, and wall roughness. Further, we illustrate how these parameters induce the microstructural transition between blocky (crystals growing anisotropically) to fibrous morphology (isotropic) and formation of grain boundaries. The phase-field simulations of crystals in the free-growth regime (in 2D and 3D) indicate that the growth or consumption of a crystal is dependent on the orientation difference with neighboring crystals. The crack-sealing simulation results (in 2D and 3D) reveal that crystals grow isotropically and grain boundaries track the opening trajectory if the wall roughness is high, opening increments are small, and crystals touch the wall before the next crack increment starts. Further, we find that within the complete crack-seal regime, anisotropy in surface energy results in the formation of curved/oscillating grain boundaries (instead of straight) when the crack-opening velocity is increased and wall roughness is not sufficiently high. Additionally, the overall capability of phase-field method to simulate large-scale polycrystal growth in veins (in 3D) is demonstrated enumerating the main advantages of adopting the novel approach.

  12. 78 FR 26720 - Airworthiness Directives; The Boeing Company Airplanes

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-05-08

    ..., Revision 2, dated December 22, 2010, terminates the repetitive inspections required by paragraphs (r), (s...; a detailed inspection of certain reveals for a sharp edge and cracking; and corrective action if...-2251. Mail: U.S. Department of Transportation, Docket Operations, M-30, West Building Ground Floor...

  13. 77 FR 4646 - Airworthiness Directives; Bombardier, Inc. Airplanes

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-01-31

    ...), damage due to sharp bends and kinking or deterioration, insulation cracking, evidence of heat damage to the insulation, and chafing. The unsafe condition is the loss of ice protection systems for the angle... heat damage to the insulation, and chafing) and do all applicable repairs, in accordance with the...

  14. Effects of fracture and crack healing in sI methane and sII methane-ethane gas hydrate

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Helgerud, M. B.; Waite, W. F.; Stern, L. A.; Kirby, S. H.

    2005-12-01

    Cracking within gas hydrate-bearing sediment can occur in the field at core-scales, due to unloading as material is brought to the surface during conventional coring, and at reservoir scales if the formation is fractured prior to production. Cracking can weaken hydrate-bearing sediment, but can also provide additional surface area for dissociation and permeability pathways for enhanced gas and fluid flow. In pulse-transmission wave speed measurements, we observe cracking in laboratory-formed pure sI methane and sII methane-ethane hydrates when samples are axially unloaded while being held under gas pressure to maintain hydrate stability. Cracking events are inferred from repeated, sharp decreases in shear wave speed occurring concurrently with abrupt increases in sample length. We also visually observe cracks in the solid samples after their recovery from the apparatus following each experiment. Following a cracking event, we observe evidence of rapid crack healing, or annealing expressed as nearly complete recovery of the shear wave speed within approximately 20 minutes. Gas hydrate recrystallization, grain growth, and annealing have also been observed in optical cell experiments and SEM imagery over a similar time frame. In a recovered hydrate-bearing core that is repressurized for storage or experimentation, rapid crack healing and recrystallization can partly restore lost mechanical strength and raise wave speeds. In a fractured portion of a hydrate-bearing reservoir, the rapid healing process can close permeable cracks and reduce the surface area available for dissociation.

  15. Theoretical aspects of fracture mechanics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Atkinson, C.; Craster, R. V.

    1995-03-01

    In this review we try to cover various topics in fracture mechanics in which mathematical analysis can be used both to aid numerical methods and cast light on key features of the stress field. The dominant singular near crack tip stress field can often be parametrized in terms of three parameters K(sub I), K(sub II) and K(sub III) designating three fracture modes each having an angular variation entirely specified for the stress tensor and displacement vector. These results and contact zone models for removing the interpenetration anomaly are described. Generalizations of the above results to viscoelastic media are described. For homogeneous media with constant Poisson's ratio the angular variation of singular crack tip stresses and displacements are shown to be the same for all time and the same inverse square root singularity as occurs in the elastic medium case is found (this being true for a time varying Poisson ratio too). Only the stress intensity factor varies through time dependence of loads and relaxation properties of the medium. For cracks against bimaterial interfaces both the stress singularity and angular form evolve with time as a function of the time dependent properties of the bimaterial. Similar behavior is identified for sharp notches in viscoelastic plates. The near crack tip behavior in material with non-linear stress strain laws is also identified and stress singularities classified in terms of the hardening exponent for power law hardening materials. Again for interface cracks the near crack tip behavior requires careful analysis and it is shown that more than one singular term may be present in the near crack tip stress field. A variety of theory and applications is presented for inhomogeneous elastic media, coupled thermoelasticity etc. Methods based on reciprocal theorems and dual functions which can also aid in getting awkward singular stress behavior from numerical solutions are also reviewed. Finally theoretical calculations of fiber reinforced and particulate composite toughening mechanisms are briefly reviewed.

  16. Exceptional cracking behavior in H-implanted Si/B-doped Si0.70Ge0.30/Si heterostructures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Da; Wang, Dadi; Chang, Yongwei; Li, Ya; Ding, Rui; Li, Jiurong; Chen, Xiao; Wang, Gang; Guo, Qinglei

    2018-01-01

    The cracking behavior in H-implanted Si/B-doped Si0.70Ge0.30/Si structures after thermal annealing was investigated. The crack formation position is found to closely correlate with the thickness of the buried Si0.70Ge0.30 layer. For H-implanted Si containing a buried 3-nm-thick B-doped Si0.70Ge0.30 layer, localized continuous cracking occurs at the interfaces on both sides of the Si0.70Ge0.30 interlayer. Once the thickness of the buried Si0.70Ge0.30 layer increases to 15 and 70 nm, however, a continuous sharp crack is individually observed along the interface between the Si substrate and the B-doped Si0.70Ge0.30 interlayer. We attribute this exceptional cracking behavior to the existence of shear stress on both sides of the buried Si0.70Ge0.30 layer and the subsequent trapping of hydrogen, which leads to a crack in a well-controlled manner. This work may pave the way for high-quality Si or SiGe membrane transfer in a feasible manner, thus expediting its potential applications to ultrathin silicon-on-insulator (SOI) or silicon-germanium-on-insulator (SGOI) production.

  17. Preliminary Study of Radioactive Waste Package Made of High-Strength and Ultra Low-Permeability Concrete for Geological Disposal of TRU Wastes

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Matsuo, T.; Kawasaki, T.; Sakamoto, H.

    2003-02-27

    We have been developing a radioactive waste package made of high-strength and ultra low-permeability concrete (HSULPC) for geological disposal of TRU wastes, which is expected to be much more impervious to water than conventional concrete. In this study, basic data for the HSULPC regarding its the impervious character and the thermodynamics during cement hydration were obtained through water permeability measurements using cold isostatic pressing (CIP) and adiabatic concrete hydration experiments, respectively. Then, a prediction tool to find concrete package construction conditions to avoid thermal cracking was developed, which could deal with coupled calculations of cement hydration, heat transfer, stress, andmore » cracking. The developed tool was applied to HSULPC hydration on a small-scale cylindrical model to examine whether there was any effect on cracking which depended on the ratio of concrete cylinder thickness to its inner diameter. The results were compared to experiments. For concrete with a compressive strength of 200MPa, the water permeability coefficient was 4 x 10{sup 19} m/s. Dependences of activation energy and frequency factor on degree of cement hydration had a sharp peaking due to the nucleation rate-determining step, and a gradual increase region due to the diffusion rate-determining step. From analyses of the small-scale cylindrical model, dependences of the maximum principal stress on the radius were obtained. When the ratio of the concrete thickness to the heater diameter was around 1, the risk of cracking was predicted to be minimized. These numerical predictions from the developed tool were verified by experiments.« less

  18. 49 CFR 180.605 - Requirements for periodic testing, inspection and repair of portable tanks.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... repair of portable tanks. 180.605 Section 180.605 Transportation Other Regulations Relating to... leakage or cracks near areas of stress concentration due to cooling metal shrinkage in welding operations, sharp fillets, reversal of stresses, or otherwise. No field welding may be done except to non-pressure...

  19. 49 CFR 180.605 - Requirements for periodic testing, inspection and repair of portable tanks.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... repair of portable tanks. 180.605 Section 180.605 Transportation Other Regulations Relating to... leakage or cracks near areas of stress concentration due to cooling metal shrinkage in welding operations, sharp fillets, reversal of stresses, or otherwise. No field welding may be done except to non-pressure...

  20. 49 CFR 180.605 - Requirements for periodic testing, inspection and repair of portable tanks.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... repair of portable tanks. 180.605 Section 180.605 Transportation Other Regulations Relating to... leakage or cracks near areas of stress concentration due to cooling metal shrinkage in welding operations, sharp fillets, reversal of stresses, or otherwise. No field welding may be done except to non-pressure...

  1. 49 CFR 180.605 - Requirements for periodic testing, inspection and repair of portable tanks.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... repair of portable tanks. 180.605 Section 180.605 Transportation Other Regulations Relating to... leakage or cracks near areas of stress concentration due to cooling metal shrinkage in welding operations, sharp fillets, reversal of stresses, or otherwise. No field welding may be done except to non-pressure...

  2. A micromechanics-based strength prediction methodology for notched metal matrix composites

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bigelow, C. A.

    1992-01-01

    An analytical micromechanics based strength prediction methodology was developed to predict failure of notched metal matrix composites. The stress-strain behavior and notched strength of two metal matrix composites, boron/aluminum (B/Al) and silicon-carbide/titanium (SCS-6/Ti-15-3), were predicted. The prediction methodology combines analytical techniques ranging from a three dimensional finite element analysis of a notched specimen to a micromechanical model of a single fiber. In the B/Al laminates, a fiber failure criteria based on the axial and shear stress in the fiber accurately predicted laminate failure for a variety of layups and notch-length to specimen-width ratios with both circular holes and sharp notches when matrix plasticity was included in the analysis. For the SCS-6/Ti-15-3 laminates, a fiber failure based on the axial stress in the fiber correlated well with experimental results for static and post fatigue residual strengths when fiber matrix debonding and matrix cracking were included in the analysis. The micromechanics based strength prediction methodology offers a direct approach to strength prediction by modeling behavior and damage on a constituent level, thus, explicitly including matrix nonlinearity, fiber matrix debonding, and matrix cracking.

  3. A micromechanics-based strength prediction methodology for notched metal-matrix composites

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bigelow, C. A.

    1993-01-01

    An analytical micromechanics-based strength prediction methodology was developed to predict failure of notched metal matrix composites. The stress-strain behavior and notched strength of two metal matrix composites, boron/aluminum (B/Al) and silicon-carbide/titanium (SCS-6/Ti-15-3), were predicted. The prediction methodology combines analytical techniques ranging from a three-dimensional finite element analysis of a notched specimen to a micromechanical model of a single fiber. In the B/Al laminates, a fiber failure criteria based on the axial and shear stress in the fiber accurately predicted laminate failure for a variety of layups and notch-length to specimen-width ratios with both circular holes and sharp notches when matrix plasticity was included in the analysis. For the SCS-6/Ti-15-3 laminates, a fiber failure based on the axial stress in the fiber correlated well with experimental results for static and postfatigue residual strengths when fiber matrix debonding and matrix cracking were included in the analysis. The micromechanics-based strength prediction methodology offers a direct approach to strength prediction by modeling behavior and damage on a constituent level, thus, explicitly including matrix nonlinearity, fiber matrix debonding, and matrix cracking.

  4. In situ measurements of hydraulic fracture behavior, PTE-3. Final report

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Warpinski, N.R.

    Measurements of width and pressure in a propagating hydraulic fracture have been made in tests conducted at DOE`s Nevada Test Site. This was accomplished by creating an "instrumented fracture" at a tunnel complex (at a depth of 1400 ft) where realistic in situ conditions prevail, particularly with respect to stress and geologic features such as natural fractures and material anisotropy. Analyses of these data show that the pressure drop along the fracture length is much larger than predicted by viscous theory currently in use in models today. This is apparently due to the tortuosity of the fracture path, multiple fracturemore » strands, roughness, and sharp turns (corners) in the flow path due to natural fractures and rock property variations. It suggests that fracture design models need to be updated to include a more realistic friction factor so that fracture lengths are not overestimated. The width and pressure profiles near the crack tip have been investigated in some detail, including the length of the unwetted region and the tapering of the crack tip. The overall fracture behavior has been compared with published fracture models. Mineback of the fracture provided evidence of the geometry of the fracture and details of surface features. 35 refs., 89 figs., 30 tabs.« less

  5. Possible Mud Cracks Preserved in Martian Rock

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-01-17

    The network of cracks in this Martian rock slab called "Old Soaker" may have formed from the drying of a mud layer more than 3 billion years ago. The view spans about 4 feet (1.2 meters) left-to-right and combines three images taken by the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) camera on the arm of NASA's Curiosity Mars rover. Mud cracks would be evidence of a time when dry intervals interrupted wetter periods that supported lakes in the area. Curiosity has found evidence of ancient lakes in older, lower-lying rock layers and also in younger mudstone that is above Old Soaker. MAHLI was positioned about 3 feet (90 centimeters) above the surface when it took the component images on Dec. 31, 2016, during the 1,566th Martian day, or sol, of Curiosity's work on Mars. This observation was planned as part of assessing a hypothesis that the target preserves evidence of drying mud. The location is within an exposure of Murray formation mudstone on lower Mount Sharp inside Gale Crater. The slab bears a network of four- and five-sided polygons about half an inch to 1 inch (1 to 2 centimeters) across, which matches the pattern commonly formed when a thin layer of mud dries. Some edges of the polygons are ridges of material the same color as the surrounding rock. This could result from a three-step process after cracks form due to drying: Wind-blown sediments accumulate in the open cracks. Later, these sediments and the dried mud become rock under the pressure of multiple younger layers that accumulate on top of them. Most recently, after the overlying layers were eroded away by wind, the vein-filling material resists erosion better than the once-muddy material, so the pattern that began as cracks appears as ridges. Note that some of the cracks contain material much brighter than the surrounding rock. These are mineral veins. Curiosity has found such bright veins of calcium sulfate in many rock layers the rover has investigated. These veins form from circulation of mineral-laden groundwater through underground cracks. Rover-team scientists suggest that a likely scenario for the history of Old Soaker is more than one generation of fracturing: mud cracks first, with sediment accumulating in them, then a later episode of underground fracturing and vein forming. The target rock's name comes from the name of an island off the coast of Maine. The names informally assigned by the rover team to features in the area of lower Mount Sharp that includes this slab are from a list of islands, hills and other sites in or near Maine's Bar Harbor. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21261

  6. Wave energy trapping and localization in a plate with a delamination

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Glushkov, Evgeny; Glushkova, Natalia; Golub, Mikhail V.; Moll, Jochen; Fritzen, Claus-Peter

    2012-12-01

    The research aims at an experimental approval of the trapping mode effect theoretically predicted for an elastic plate-like structure with a horizontal crack. The effect is featured by a sharp capture of incident wave energy at certain resonance frequencies with its localization between the crack and plate surfaces in the form of energy vortices yielding long-enduring standing waves. The trapping modes are eigensolutions of the related diffraction problem associated with nearly real complex points of its discrete frequency spectrum. To detect such resonance motion, a laser vibrometer based system has been employed for the acquisition and appropriate visualization of piezoelectrically actuated out-of-plane surface motion of a two-layer aluminum plate with an artificial strip-like delamination. The measurements at resonance and off-resonance frequencies have revealed a time-harmonic oscillation of good quality above the delamination in the resonance case. It lasts for a long time after the scattered waves have left that area. The measured frequency of the trapped standing-wave oscillation is in a good agreement with that predicted using the integral equation based mathematical model.

  7. Damage in fatigue: A new outlook

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Miller, K.J.

    1995-12-01

    This paper concentrates on the difficulties produced by linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) and how recent research has removed many of these difficulties thereby permitting the design engineer to have a much improved basis for solving complex problems of engineering plant subjected to cyclic loading. This paper intends to show that: (1) In polycrystalline materials the period of initiation is in reality, zero and fatigue lifetime is entirely composed of crack propagation. (2) The fatigue limit of a metal, component or structure is related to whether or not a crack can propagate. (3) Elastic Fracture Mechanics is only a beginningmore » in the science of, and application of, fracture mechanics. (4) Fatigue Damage is current crack length and the rate of damage accumulation is the rate of crack growth. (5) Only two basic forms of crack extension occur when any combination of the three loading mode mechanisms (Modes 1, 2, and 3) are applied, namely Stage 1 (shear crack growth) and Stage 2 (tensile crack growth). (6) Three fundamentally different fatigue crack growth thresholds exist. (7) The fatigue resistance of a metal is predominantly concerned with a crack changing its crack-growth direction, ie from Stage 1 to Stage 2, or vice versa. (8) Notches fall into two clearly defined categories; sharp notches where failure is related to the mechanical threshold condition, and shallow notches where failure is related to the material threshold condition. (9) Complex three-dimensional cyclic stress systems should be evaluated with respect to the possible Stage 1 and Stage 2 crack growth planes. (10) Barriers to fatigue crack growth can have origins in the microstructure (eg: grain boundaries) and in the mechanical state (eg: other crack systems). (11) The removal of a fatigue limit by a corrosive environment can be evaluated by the interface conditions between the Elastic-Plastic Fracture Mechanics (EPFM) and Microstructural Fracture Mechanics (MFM) regimes.« less

  8. Experimental study of HgCdTe imaging sensor irradiated by pulse CO2 laser

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Xi; Wang, Qingsheng; Hu, Hongtao; Fang, Xiaodong; Nie, Jinsong

    2016-10-01

    The damages of TEA-CO2 laser to HgCdTe imaging sensor are researched experimentally and theoretically. The shadows, cracks and dark line are observed. There is a gap between photosensitive layer and CdZnTe which decreases light transmittance, so that the shadows occur. It shows that the crack damages begin from photosensitive layer. The sensor is irradiated by pulse laser, the absorptivity of photosensitive layer is strong, sharp temperatures fluctuations inside the sensor, leading to stress. With the stress increased, the cracks are observed on the surface of the detector. Cracked the surface of the substrate, and effective transmission reduced, which caused gray pixel response decline. The dark line in image occurs several times because Hg atoms separate out from the detector and gather together at the Si-COMS which makes a short circuit between silicon substrate and signal choice line. The volatility of Hg makes the short circuit is unstable, resulting in the dark line repeated in the output image, but the short circuit occurs by chance.

  9. Topological Toughening of graphene and other 2D materials

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gao, Huajian

    It has been claimed that graphene, with the elastic modulus of 1TPa and theoretical strength as high as 130 GPa, is the strongest material. However, from an engineering point of view, it is the fracture toughness that determines the actual strength of materials, as crack-like flaws (i.e., cracks, holes, notches, corners, etc.) are inevitable in the design, fabrication, and operation of practical devices and systems. Recently, it has been demonstrated that graphene has very low fracture toughness, in fact close to that of ideally brittle solids. These findings have raised sharp questions and are calling for efforts to explore effective methods to toughen graphene. Recently, we have been exploring the potential use of topological effects to enhance the fracture toughness of graphene. For example, it has been shown that a sinusoidal graphene containing periodically distributed disclination quadrupoles can achieve a mode I fracture toughness nearly twice that of pristine graphene. Here we report working progresses on further studies of topological toughening of graphene and other 2D materials. A phase field crystal method is adopted to generate the atomic coordinates of material with specific topological patterns. We then perform molecular dynamics simulations of fracture in the designed samples, and observe a variety of toughening mechanisms, including crack tip blunting, crack trapping, ligament bridging, crack deflection and daughter crack initiation and coalescence.

  10. Coseismic Surface Cracks Produced By the Mw8.1 Pisagua Earthquake Sequence

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Allmendinger, R. W.; Scott, C. P.; Gonzalez, G.; Loveless, J. P.

    2014-12-01

    The April 1, 2014 Mw8.1 Pisagua earthquake filled a relatively small part of the Iquique Gap, a segment of the the Nazca-South America plate boundary that had not experienced a great earthquake since 1877. The slip maximum for the event occurred south of the hypocenter offshore of the village of Pisagua. To document the permanent surface deformation, we measured more than 3,700 co- or post seismic cracks, spanning 220 km of coast length, during three field excursions 2 weeks, 6 weeks, and 3 months after the main shock. Thanks to the hyperarid climate of the region, many fresh cracks are still visible 3.5 months after the main event but eolian processes and sloughing of the side-walls are rapidly obscuring these fragile features. The distribution of crack strikes is noisy for several reasons: (1) the vast majority of new cracks reactivated pre-existing cracks in many cases with less than ideal orientations; (2) both the April 1 main shock and the April 2 Mw7.7 aftershock 70 km to the south probably produced cracks; (3) several smaller crustal aftershocks occurred on EW reverse faults and may have enhanced cracking on EW scarps; and (4) cracking is locally enhanced along sharp topographic features. Nonetheless, there is a tendency for NNE striking cracks S of the slip maximum and NNW cracks to the north. We measured crack aperture and calculate strain in transects of 500-1000 m length at 3 localities along the earthquake rupture length. Those close to the slip maximum have permanent coseismic extensional strains on the order of 1e-4 and even a site 60 km S of the Mw7.7 event has crack strain of 5e-5. These strains are not homogenous, but diminish eastward. These data indicate that surface cracking caused by any one event utilizes the most suitably pre-existing weaknesses, Presumably, over time earthquakes with similar slip characteristics will add constructively in the geological record to produce a crack population characteristic of the long term average earthquake in the region.

  11. Multi-Scale Effects in the Strength of Ceramics

    PubMed Central

    Cook, Robert F.

    2016-01-01

    Multiple length-scale effects are demonstrated in indentation-strength measurements of a range of ceramic materials under inert and reactive conditions. Meso-scale effects associated with flaw disruption by lateral cracking at large indentation loads are shown to increase strengths above the ideal indentation response. Micro-scale effects associated with toughening by microstructural restraints at small indentation loads are shown to decrease strengths below the ideal response. A combined meso-micro-scale analysis is developed that describes ceramic inert strength behaviors over the complete indentation flaw size range. Nano-scale effects associated with chemical equilibria and crack velocity thresholds are shown to lead to invariant minimum strengths at slow applied stressing rates under reactive conditions. A combined meso-micro-nano-scale analysis is developed that describes the full range of reactive and inert strength behaviors as a function of indentation load and applied stressing rate. Applications of the multi-scale analysis are demonstrated for materials design, materials selection, toughness determination, crack velocity determination, bond-rupture parameter determination, and prediction of reactive strengths. The measurements and analysis provide strong support for the existence of sharp crack tips in ceramics such that the nano-scale mechanisms of discrete bond rupture are separate from the larger scale crack driving force mechanics characterized by continuum-based stress-intensity factors. PMID:27563150

  12. How do subcritical cracking rates and styles influence rock erosion? A test case from the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Eppes, M. C.; Hancock, G. S.; Dewers, T. A.; Chen, X.; Eichhubl, P.

    2017-12-01

    There is a disconnect between measured rates of rock erosion and regolith production and our understanding of the factors and processes that drive them. Here we examine the mechanical weathering (cracking) characteristics of natural, bare bedrock outcrops characterized by 10Be derived erosion rates that vary from 2 to 40 m/my in the Blue Ridge Mountains, VA. Observed erosion rate variance generally correlates with rock type; we seek to characterize and quantify to what extent the mechanical weathering properties of the different rock types drive erosion rates. We assert that subcritical cracking constitutes the primary mechanism by which the outcrops increase their porosity and subsequently weather and erode. We therefore hypothesize that rock parameters that control rates and styles of subcritical cracking set the outcrop erosion rates. For each outcrop, we measured crack characteristics along transects: for every crack >2 cm length, we measured its length, width, orientation, and weathering characteristics (rounded vs sharp edges); and we measured the thickness of all `steps' (spallation remnants) encountered in the transects. For most outcrops, we collected surface samples in order to characterize their mineralogy and microcracking characteristics through thin section analysis. For each rock type, we collected samples for which we measured fracture toughness, as well as the subcritical crack growth index under different moisture conditions. Preliminary analysis of the field crack data indicates that each rock type (granite, sandstone, quartzite) is characterized by unique macro- and micro-scale crack characteristics consistent with known generic subcritical cracking parameters for those rocks. Crack density and length correlate with erosion rates in faster eroding rock types, but not slowly eroding ones. Overall, we hope these data will help to shed light on the driving and limiting factors for the mechanical production of porosity in rock at and near Earth's surface.

  13. Fractography of composite delamination

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1988-01-01

    Studies were made of the fractography of mode 2 delamination and the impact damage of carbon fiber reinforced polymer composites. Laminates fractured under mode 2 loading were potted in a clear epoxy polymer, sectioned and polished and examined using transmission and reflection light microscopy. There were only occasional fibers bridging the mode 2 cracks. These cracks were not always visible probably because the crack opening displacement was too small as to be resolved using light microscopy. A study was made of the effect of repetitive impacts on laminates of AS4/3501-6 and IM6/3501-6. Plots of cumulative impact energy vs cumulative absorbed energy exhibited a sharp change in slope which corresponded to the damage area reaching the edges of the specimen. The initial slope was highly reproducible for both composite materials. On the other hand, the intersection point between the two slopes, where the damage area reaches the specimen edges, was highly variable between specimens. This variability is tentatively ascribed to differences in laminate quality.

  14. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Merkle, J.G.

    In order to study effects of constraint on fracture toughness, it is important to select the right location within the crack-tip field for investigation. In 1950 Hill postulated that close to a circular notch tip the principal stress directions would be radial and circumferential, so that the plastic slip lines (maximum shear stress trajectories) would be logarithmic spirals. The resulting equation for stress normal to the notch symmetry plane, neglecting strain hardening, was identical to that for the circumferential stress near the bore of an ideally plastic thick-walled hollow cylinder under external radial tension, because the relevant geometries are identical.more » In 1969, Rice and Johnson developed a near crack-tip, plane strain, large-strain rigid-plastic analysis considering strain hardening and assuming an infinitely sharp initial crack tip. Shortly afterwards, Merkle, following Hill's suggestion, proposed an approximate analysis of the stresses and strains ahead of a blunted crack tip on the plane of symmetry, based on a circular blunted crack tip. The analysis amounted to a hollow cylinder analogy, including the effects of strain hardening. The original hollow cylinder analogy was based on small strain theory, and the calculated strain distributions did not agree well with the Rice and Johnson results very near the blunted crack tip. Therefore, the hollow cylinder analogy equations have been rederived, based on large strain theory, and the agreement with the Rice and Johnson results and other more recent numerical results is good. Calculations illustrate the effects of transverse strain on the principal stresses very close to a blunting crack tip and show that, theoretically, a singularity still exists at the tip of a blunting crack. 10 refs., 9 figs.« less

  15. Size effects and strain localization in atomic-scale cleavage modeling

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Elsner, B. A. M.; Müller, S.

    2015-09-01

    In this work, we study the adhesion and decohesion of Cu(1 0 0) surfaces using density functional theory (DFT) calculations. An upper stress to surface decohesion is obtained via the universal binding energy relation (UBER), but the model is limited to rigid separation of bulk-terminated surfaces. When structural relaxations are included, an unphysical size effect arises if decohesion is considered to occur as soon as the strain energy equals the energy of the newly formed surfaces. We employ the nudged elastic band (NEB) method to show that this size effect is opposed by a size-dependency of the energy barriers involved in the transition. Further, we find that the transition occurs via a localization of bond strain in the vicinity of the cleavage plane, which resembles the strain localization at the tip of a sharp crack that is predicted by linear elastic fracture mechanics.

  16. Size effects and strain localization in atomic-scale cleavage modeling.

    PubMed

    Elsner, B A M; Müller, S

    2015-09-04

    In this work, we study the adhesion and decohesion of Cu(1 0 0) surfaces using density functional theory (DFT) calculations. An upper stress to surface decohesion is obtained via the universal binding energy relation (UBER), but the model is limited to rigid separation of bulk-terminated surfaces. When structural relaxations are included, an unphysical size effect arises if decohesion is considered to occur as soon as the strain energy equals the energy of the newly formed surfaces. We employ the nudged elastic band (NEB) method to show that this size effect is opposed by a size-dependency of the energy barriers involved in the transition. Further, we find that the transition occurs via a localization of bond strain in the vicinity of the cleavage plane, which resembles the strain localization at the tip of a sharp crack that is predicted by linear elastic fracture mechanics.

  17. Resonance of a fluid-driven crack: Radiation properties and implications for the source of long-period events and harmonic tremor

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chouet, Bernard

    1988-05-01

    A dynamic source model is presented, in which a three-dimensional crack containing a viscous compressible fluid is excited into resonance by an impulsive pressure transient applied over a small area ΔS of the crack surface. The crack excitation depends critically on two dimensionless parameters called the crack stiffness, C = (b/μ)(L/d), and viscous damping loss, F = (12ηL)/(ρƒd2α), where b is the bulk modulus, η is the viscosity, ρƒ is the density of the fluid, μ is the rigidity, α is the compressional velocity of the solid, L is the crack length, and d is the crack thickness. The first parameter characterizes the ability of the crack to vibrate and shapes the spectral signature of the source, and the second quantifies the effect of fluid viscosity on the duration of resonance. Resonance is sustained by a very slow wave trapped in the fluid-filled crack. This guided wave, called the crack wave, is similar to the tube wave propagating in a fluid-filled borehole; it is inversely dispersive, showing a phase velocity that decreases with increasing wavelength, and its wave speed is always lower than the acoustic velocity of the fluid, decreasing rapidly as the crack stiffness increases. The source spectrum shows many sharp peaks characterizing the individual modes of vibration of the crack; the variation of spectral shape, both in the number and width of peaks, is surprisingly complex, reflecting the interference between the lateral and longitudinal modes of resonance, as well as nodes for these modes. The far-field spectrum is marked by narrow-band dominant and subdominant peaks that reflect the interaction of the various source modes. The frequency of the dominant spectral peak radiated by the source is independent of the radiation direction. The frequency, bandwidth, and spacing of the resonant peaks are strongly dependent on the crack stiffness, larger values of the stiffness factor shifting these peaks to lower frequencies and decreasing their bandwidth. The excitation of a particular mode depends on the position of the trigger and on the extent of the crack surface affected by the pressure transient. Fluid viscosity decreases the amplitudes of the main spectral peaks, smears out the finer structure of the spectrum, and greatly reduces the duration of the radiated signal. The energy loss by radiation is stronger for high frequencies, producing a seismic signature that is marked by a high-frequency content near the onset of the signal and dominated by a longer-period component of much longer duration in the signal coda. Such signature is in harmony with those displayed by long-period events observed on active volcanoes and in hydrofracture experiments. The very low velocity which is possible in a crack with high stiffness (C ≥ 100) also provides an attractive explanation for very long period tremor, such as type 2 tremor at Aso volcano, Japan, without the requirement of an unrealistically large magma container. The standing wave pattern set up on the crack surface by the sustained resonance in the fluid is observable in the near field of the crack, suggesting that the location and extent of the source may be estimated from the mapping of the pattern of nodes and antinodes seen in its vicinity. According to the model, the long-period event and harmonic tremor share the same source but differ in the boundary conditions for fluid flow and in the triggering mechanism setting up the resonance of the source, the former being viewed as the impulse response of the tremor generating system and the latter representing the excitation due to more complex forcing functions.

  18. Space Shuttle Orbiter Atlantis Liquid Oxygen Prevalve Detent Roller Cracking Investigation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Holleman, Elizabeth; Eddleman, David; Richard, James; Jacobs, Rebecca

    2008-01-01

    During routine inspections of the Space Shuttle's Main Propulsion System (MPS) Liquid Oxygen (LO2) pre-valve, the mechanism provided to maintain the valve in the open position was found cracked. The mechanism is a Vespel roller held against the valve visor by a stack of Belleville springs. The roller has been found cracked 3 times. All three instances were in the same valve in the same location. There are 6 pre-valves on each orbiter, and only one has exhibited this problem. Every-flight inspections were instituted and the rollers were found to be cracked after only one flight. Engineers at Marshall Space Flight Center, Johnson Space Center and Kennedy Space Center worked together to determine a solution. There were several possible contributors to the failure: a mis-aligned visor, an out of specification edge with a sharp radius, an out of specification tolerance stack up of a Belleville spring stack that caused un-predicted loads on the Vespel SP-21 roller, and a dimple machined into the side of the roller to indicate LO2 compatibility that created a stress riser. The detent assembly was removed and replaced with parts that were on the low-side of the tolerance stack up to eliminate the potential for high loads on the detent roller. After one flight, the roller was inspected and showed fewer signs of wear and no cracks.

  19. Space Shuttle Orbiter Atlantis Liquid Oxygen Pre-Valve Detent Roller Cracking Investigation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Holleman, Elizabeth; Eddleman, David; Jacobs, Rebecca; Richard, James

    2008-01-01

    During routine inspections of the Space Shuttle s Main Propulsion System Liquid Oxygen (LO2) pre-valve, the mechanism provided to maintain the valve in the open position was found cracked. The mechanism is a Vespel roller held against the valve visor by a stack of Belleville springs. The roller has been found cracked 3 times. All three instances were in the same valve in the same location. There are 6 pre-valves on each orbiter, and only one has exhibited this problem. Every-flight inspections were instituted and the rollers were found to be cracked after only one flight. Engineers at Marshall Space Flight Center, Johnson Space Center, and Kennedy Space Center worked together to determine a solution. There were several possible contributors to the failure: a misaligned visor, an out-of-specification edge with a sharp radius, an out-of-specification tolerance stack up of a Belleville spring stack that caused un-predicted loads on the Vespel SP-21 roller, and a dimple machined into the side of the roller to indicate LO2 compatibility that created a stress riser. The detent assembly was removed and replaced with parts that were on the low side of the tolerance stack up to eliminate the potential for high loads on the detent roller. After one flight, the roller was inspected and showed fewer signs of wear and no cracks.

  20. Enamel subsurface damage due to tooth preparation with diamonds.

    PubMed

    Xu, H H; Kelly, J R; Jahanmir, S; Thompson, V P; Rekow, E D

    1997-10-01

    In clinical tooth preparation with diamond burs, sharp diamond particles indent and scratch the enamel, causing material removal. Such operations may produce subsurface damage in enamel. However, little information is available on the mechanisms and the extent of subsurface damage in enamel produced during clinical tooth preparation. The aim of this study, therefore, was to investigate the mechanisms of subsurface damage produced in enamel during tooth preparation by means of diamond burs, and to examine the dependence of such damage on enamel rod orientation, diamond particle size, and removal rate. Subsurface damage was evaluated by a bonded-interface technique. Tooth preparation was carried out on two enamel rod orientations, with four clinical diamond burs (coarse, medium, fine, and superfine) used in a dental handpiece. The results of this study showed that subsurface damage in enamel took the form of median-type cracks and distributed microcracks, extending preferentially along the boundaries between the enamel rods. Microcracks within individual enamel rods were also observed. The median-type cracks were significantly longer in the direction parallel to the enamel rods than perpendicular to the rods. Preparation with the coarse diamond bur produced cracks as deep as 84 +/- 30 microns in enamel. Finishing with fine diamond burs was effective in crack removal. The crack lengths in enamel were not significantly different when the removal rate was varied. Based on these results, it is concluded that subsurface damage in enamel induced by tooth preparation takes the form of median-type cracks as well as inter- and intra-rod microcracks, and that the lengths of these cracks are sensitive to diamond particle size and enamel rod orientation, but insensitive to removal rate.

  1. Cracks growth behaviors of commercial pure titanium under nanosecond laser irradiation for formation of nanostructure-covered microstructures (with sub-5-μm)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pan, A. F.; Wang, W. J.; Mei, X. S.; Zheng, B. X.; Yan, Z. X.

    2016-11-01

    This study reported on the formation of sub-5-μm microstructures covered on titanium by cracks growth under 10-ns laser radiation at the wavelength of 532 nm and its induced light modification for production of nanostructures. The electric field intensity and laser power density absorbed by commercial pure titanium were computed to investigate the self-trapping introduced by cracks and the effect of surface morphology on laser propagation characteristics. It is found that nanostructures can form at the surface with the curvature radius below 20 μm. Meanwhile, variable laser fluences were applied to explore the evolution of cracks on commercial pure titanium with or without melt as spot overlap number increased. Experimental study was first performed at the peak laser fluence of 1.063 J/cm2 to investigate the microstructures induced only by cracks growth. The results demonstrated that angular microstructures with size between 1.68 μm and 4.74 μm was obtained and no nanostructure covered. Then, at the peak laser fluence of 2.126 J/cm2, there were some nanostructures covered on the melt-induced curved microstructured surface. However, surface molten material submerged in the most of cracks at the spot overlap number of 744, where the old cracks disappeared. The results indicated that there was too much molten material and melting time at the peak laser fluence of 2.126 J/cm2, which was not suitable for obtainment of perfect micro-nano structures. On this basis, peak laser fluence was reduced down to 1.595 J/cm2 and the sharp sub-5 μm microstructures with nanostructures covered was obtained at spot overlap number of 3720.

  2. Oxidation of Carbon Fibers in a Cracked Ceramic Matrix Composite Modeled as a Function of Temperature

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Halbig, Michael C.; Cawley, James D.; Eckel, Andrew J.

    2003-01-01

    The oxidation model simulates the oxidation of the reinforcing carbon fibers within a ceramic matrix composite material containing as-fabricated microcracks. The physics-based oxidation model uses theoretically and experimentally determined variables as input for the model. The model simulates the ingress of oxygen through microcracks into a two-dimensional plane within the composite material. Model input includes temperature, oxygen concentration, the reaction rate constant, the diffusion coefficient, and the crack opening width as a function of the mechanical and thermal loads. The model is run in an iterative process for a two-dimensional grid system in which oxygen diffuses through the porous and cracked regions of the material and reacts with carbon in short time steps. The model allows the local oxygen concentrations and carbon volumes from the edge to the interior of the composite to be determined over time. Oxidation damage predicted by the model was compared with that observed from microstructural analysis of experimentally tested composite material to validate the model for two temperatures of interest. When the model is run for low-temperature conditions, the kinetics are reaction controlled. Carbon and oxygen reactions occur relatively slowly. Therefore, oxygen can bypass the carbon near the outer edge and diffuse into the interior so that it saturates the entire composite at relatively high concentrations. The kinetics are limited by the reaction rate between carbon and oxygen. This results in an interior that has high local concentrations of oxygen and a similar amount of consumed carbon throughout the cross section. When the model is run for high-temperature conditions, the kinetics are diffusion controlled. Carbon and oxygen reactions occur very quickly. The carbon consumes oxygen as soon as it is supplied. The kinetics are limited by the relatively slow rate at which oxygen is supplied in comparison to the relatively fast rate at which carbon and oxygen reactions occur. This results in a sharp gradient in oxygen concentration from the edge where it is supplied to the nearest source of carbon, which is where the oxygen is quickly consumed. A moving reaction front is seen in which the outlaying carbon is consumed before the next inner layer of carbon begins to react.

  3. Liquid and Solid Metal Embrittlement.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1981-09-05

    example, embrittlement of AISI 4140 steel begins at T/T, - 0.75 for cadmium, and 0.85 for lead and tin environments (2). In a few cases, e.g. zinc...has recently proposed, however, that liquid zinc can penetrate to very near the tip of a sharp crack in 4140 steel, based upon both direct observation...long could be detected, was observed in delayed failure experi- ments on unnotched 4140 steel, in the quenched and tempered condi- tion, embrittled by

  4. Crack growth through the thickness of thin-sheet Hydrided Zircaloy-4

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Raynaud, Patrick A. C.

    In recent years, the limits on fuel burnup have been increased to allow an increase in the amount of energy produced by a nuclear fuel assembly thus reducing waste volume and allowing greater capacity factors. As a result, it is paramount to ensure safety after longer reactor exposure times in the case of design-basis accidents, such as reactivity-initiated accidents (RIA). Previously proposed failure criteria do not directly address the particular cladding failure mechanism during a RIA, in which crack initiation in brittle outer-layers is immediately followed by crack growth through the thickness of the thin-wall tubing. In such a case, the fracture toughness of hydrided thin-wall cladding material must be known for the conditions of through-thickness crack growth in order to predict the failure of high-burnup cladding. The fracture toughness of hydrided Zircaloy-4 in the form of thin-sheet has been examined for the condition of through-thickness crack growth as a function of hydride content and distribution at 25°C, 300°C, and 375°C. To achieve this goal, an experimental procedure was developed in which a linear hydride blister formed across the width of a four-point bend specimen was used to inject a sharp crack that was subsequently extended by fatigue pre-cracking. The electrical potential drop method was used to monitor the crack length during fracture toughness testing, thus allowing for correlation of the load-displacement record with the crack length. Elastic-plastic fracture mechanics were used to interpret the experimental test results in terms of fracture toughness, and J-R crack growth resistance curves were generated. Finite element modeling was performed to adapt the classic theories of fracture mechanics applicable to thick-plate specimens to the case of through-thickness crack growth in thin-sheet materials, and to account for non-uniform crack fronts. Finally, the hydride microstructure was characterized in the vicinity of the crack tip by means of digital image processing, so as to understand the influence of the hydride microstructure on fracture toughness, at the various test temperatures. Crack growth occurred through a microstructure which varied within the thickness of the thin-sheet Zircaloy-4 such that the hydrogen concentration and the radial hydride content decreased with increasing distance from the hydride blister. At 25°C, the fracture toughness was sensitive to the changes in hydride microstructure, such that the toughness KJi decreased from 39 MPa√m to 24 MPa√m with increasing hydrogen content and increasing the fraction of radial hydrides. The hydride particles present in the Zircaloy-4 substrate fractured ahead of the crack tip, and crack growth occurred by linking the crack-tip with the next hydride-induced primary void ahead of it. Unstable crack growth was observed at 25°C prior to any stable crack growth in the specimens where the hydrogen content was the highest. At 375°C as well as in most cases at 300°C, the hydride particles were resistant to cracking and the resistance to crack-growth initiation was very high. As a result, for this bend test procedure, crack extension was solely due to crack-tip blunting instead of crack growth in all tests at 375°C and in most cases at 300°C. The lower bound for fracture toughness at these temperatures, the parameter KJPmax, had values of K JPmax˜54MPa√m at both 300°C and 375°C. For cases where stable crack growth occurred at 300°C, the fracture toughness was K Ji˜58MPa√m and the tearing modulus was twice as high as that at 25°C. It is believed that the failure of hydrided Zircaloy-4 thin-wall cladding can be predicted using fracture mechanics analyses when failure occurs by crack growth. This failure mechanism was observed to occur in all cases at 25°C and in some cases at 300°C. However, at more elevated temperatures, such as 375°C, failure will likely occur by a mechanism other than crack growth, possibly by an imperfection-induced shear instability.

  5. Giant electrocaloric effect in a cracked ferroelectrics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Huang, Cheng; Yang, Hai-Bing; Gao, Cun-Fa

    2018-04-01

    The electrocaloric effect (ECE) is the temperature change in a material induced by electrical field variation under adiabatic condition. Considering an external electric load applied on a cracked ferroelectric solid, a non-uniform electric field would be induced at the crack tip, and thus, incompatible strain field and local stress concentration would be generated around it. Furthermore, the enormous strain energy and the electrostatic energy would affect the polarization switching of the ferroelectric solid, important for the electrocaloric response. In this paper, the large negative and positive ECEs in a ferroelectric sheet with a conducting crack are investigated by the phase field method with the consideration of time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau equation. The numerical calculations indicated that the polarization field generates a sharp rise during the domain transition from polydomain to monodomain under a certain electric load. Large negative ECEs, about -10.21 K and -7.55 K, are obtained at 135 °C and 85 °C, respectively. The domain transition temperature is much lower than the Curie temperature, which enlarges the existence scope of the large ECE in ferroelectrics. The results also imply that the domain transition from a multi-domain state to a single domain takes place with the minimization of total free energy, which involves the courses of the electric field, stress field, temperature, and polarization interaction. Therefore, the non-uniform distributions of the stress-electric fields induced by the crack play an important role in ECE.

  6. Fatigue limit prediction of ferritic-pearlitic ductile cast iron considering stress ratio and notch size

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Deguchi, T.; Kim, H. J.; Ikeda, T.

    2017-05-01

    The mechanical behavior of ductile cast iron is governed by graphite particles and casting defects in the microstructures, which can significantly decrease the fatigue strength. In our previous study, the fatigue limit of ferritic-pearlitic ductile cast iron specimens with small defects ((\\sqrt{{area}}=80˜ 1500{{μ }}{{m}})) could successfully be predicted based on the \\sqrt{{area}} parameter model by using \\sqrt{{area}} as a geometrical parameter of defect as well as the tensile strength as a material parameter. In addition, the fatigue limit for larger defects could be predicted based on the conventional fracture mechanics approach. In this study, rotating bending and tension-compression fatigue tests with ferritic-pearlitic ductile cast iron containing circumferential sharp notches as well as smooth specimens were performed to investigate quantitatively the effects of defect. The notch depths ranged 10 ˜ 2500 μm and the notch root radii were 5 and 50 μm. The stress ratios were R = -1 and 0.1. The microscopic observation of crack propagation near fatigue limit revealed that the fatigue limit was determined by the threshold condition for propagation of a small crack emanating from graphite particles. The fatigue limit could be successfully predicted as a function of R using a method proposed in this study.

  7. On the finite element modeling of the asymmetric cracked rotor

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    AL-Shudeifat, Mohammad A.

    2013-05-01

    The advanced phase of the breathing crack in the heavy duty horizontal rotor system is expected to be dominated by the open crack state rather than the breathing state after a short period of operation. The reason for this scenario is the expected plastic deformation in crack location due to a large compression stress field appears during the continuous shaft rotation. Based on that, the finite element modeling of a cracked rotor system with a transverse open crack is addressed here. The cracked rotor with the open crack model behaves as an asymmetric shaft due to the presence of the transverse edge crack. Hence, the time-varying area moments of inertia of the cracked section are employed in formulating the periodic finite element stiffness matrix which yields a linear time-periodic system. The harmonic balance method (HB) is used for solving the finite element (FE) equations of motion for studying the dynamic behavior of the system. The behavior of the whirl orbits during the passage through the subcritical rotational speeds of the open crack model is compared to that for the breathing crack model. The presence of the open crack with the unbalance force was found only to excite the 1/2 and 1/3 of the backward critical whirling speed. The whirl orbits in the neighborhood of these subcritical speeds were found to have nearly similar behavior for both open and breathing crack models. While unlike the breathing crack model, the subcritical forward whirling speeds have not been observed for the open crack model in the response to the unbalance force. As a result, the behavior of the whirl orbits during the passage through the forward subcritical rotational speeds is found to be enough to distinguish the breathing crack from the open crack model. These whirl orbits with inner loops that appear in the neighborhood of the forward subcritical speeds are then a unique property for the breathing crack model.

  8. Modeling of crack bridging in a unidirectional metal matrix composite

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ghosn, Louis J.; Kantzos, Pete; Telesman, Jack

    1991-01-01

    The effective fatigue crack driving force and crack opening profiles were determined analytically for fatigue tested unidirectional composite specimens exhibiting fiber bridging. The crack closure pressure due to bridging was modeled using two approaches; the fiber pressure model and the shear lag model. For both closure models, the Bueckner weight function method and the finite element method were used to calculate crack opening displacements and the crack driving force. The predicted near crack tip opening profile agreed well with the experimentally measured profiles for single edge notch SCS-6/Ti-15-3 metal matrix composite specimens. The numerically determined effective crack driving force, Delta K(sup eff), was calculated using both models to correlate the measure crack growth rate in the composite. The calculated Delta K(sup eff) from both models accounted for the crack bridging by showing a good agreement between the measured fatigue crack growth rates of the bridged composite and that of unreinforced, unbridged titanium matrix alloy specimens.

  9. Modeling of crack bridging in a unidirectional metal matrix composite

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ghosn, Louis J.; Kantzos, Pete; Telesman, Jack

    1992-01-01

    The effective fatigue crack driving force and crack opening profiles were determined analytically for fatigue tested unidirectional composite specimens exhibiting fiber bridging. The crack closure pressure due to bridging was modeled using two approaches: the fiber pressure model and the shear lag model. For both closure models, the Bueckner weight function method and the finite element method were used to calculate crack opening displacements and the crack driving force. The predicted near crack tip opening profile agreed well with the experimentally measured profiles for single edge notch SCS-6/Ti-15-3 metal matrix composite specimens. The numerically determined effective crack driving force, Delta K(eff), was calculated using both models to correlate the measure crack growth rate in the composite. The calculated Delta K(eff) from both models accounted for the crack bridging by showing a good agreement between the measured fatigue crack growth rates of the bridged composite and that of unreinforced, unbridged titanium matrix alloy specimens.

  10. A preliminary study of crack initiation and growth at stress concentration sites

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dawicke, D. S.; Gallagher, J. P.; Hartman, G. A.; Rajendran, A. M.

    1982-01-01

    Crack initiation and propagation models for notches are examined. The Dowling crack initiation model and the E1 Haddad et al. crack propagation model were chosen for additional study. Existing data was used to make a preliminary evaluation of the crack propagation model. The results indicate that for the crack sizes in the test, the elastic parameter K gave good correlation for the crack growth rate data. Additional testing, directed specifically toward the problem of small cracks initiating and propagating from notches is necessary to make a full evaluation of these initiation and propagation models.

  11. Modeling the Interactions Between Multiple Crack Closure Mechanisms at Threshold

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Newman, John A.; Riddell, William T.; Piascik, Robert S.

    2003-01-01

    A fatigue crack closure model is developed that includes interactions between the three closure mechanisms most likely to occur at threshold; plasticity, roughness, and oxide. This model, herein referred to as the CROP model (for Closure, Roughness, Oxide, and Plasticity), also includes the effects of out-of plane cracking and multi-axial loading. These features make the CROP closure model uniquely suited for, but not limited to, threshold applications. Rough cracks are idealized here as two-dimensional sawtooths, whose geometry induces mixed-mode crack- tip stresses. Continuum mechanics and crack-tip dislocation concepts are combined to relate crack face displacements to crack-tip loads. Geometric criteria are used to determine closure loads from crack-face displacements. Finite element results, used to verify model predictions, provide critical information about the locations where crack closure occurs.

  12. A new fracture mechanics model for multiple matrix cracks of SiC fiber reinforced brittle-matrix composites

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Okabe, T.; Takeda, N.; Komotori, J.

    1999-11-26

    A new model is proposed for multiple matrix cracking in order to take into account the role of matrix-rich regions in the cross section in initiating crack growth. The model is used to predict the matrix cracking stress and the total number of matrix cracks. The model converts the matrix-rich regions into equivalent penny shape crack sizes and predicts the matrix cracking stress with a fracture mechanics crack-bridging model. The estimated distribution of matrix cracking stresses is used as statistical input to predict the number of matrix cracks. The results show good agreement with the experimental results by replica observations.more » Therefore, it is found that the matrix cracking behavior mainly depends on the distribution of matrix-rich regions in the composite.« less

  13. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Shin, Swanee J.; Kozioziemski, Bernard J.

    In this work, we performed a series of experiments to elucidate the characteristics of a good template for solid hydrogen nucleation. Zinc stands out among several materials with comparable size and shape. Nucleation could be observed to occur on top of sharp features, such as grain boundaries and cracks, but our attempts proved unsuccessful to fabricate or replicate such features. The variations of the supercooling (ΔT) values measured for comparable samples and the dependence of ΔT on the cell temperature cycling revealed that templated nucleation of solid hydrogen is a very delicate process.

  14. Durability and life prediction modeling in polyimide composites

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Binienda, Wieslaw K.

    1995-01-01

    Sudden appearance of cracks on a macroscopically smooth surface of brittle materials due to cooling or drying shrinkage is a phenomenon related to many engineering problems. Although conventional strength theories can be used to predict the necessary condition for crack appearance, they are unable to predict crack spacing and depth. On the other hand, fracture mechanics theory can only study the behavior of existing cracks. The theory of crack initiation can be summarized into three conditions, which is a combination of a strength criterion and laws of energy conservation, the average crack spacing and depth can thus be determined. The problem of crack initiation from the surface of an elastic half plane is solved and compares quite well with available experimental evidence. The theory of crack initiation is also applied to concrete pavements. The influence of cracking is modeled by the additional compliance according to Okamura's method. The theoretical prediction by this structural mechanics type of model correlates very well with the field observation. The model may serve as a theoretical foundation for future pavement joint design. The initiation of interactive cracks of quasi-brittle material is studied based on a theory of cohesive crack model. These cracks may grow simultaneously, or some of them may close during certain stages. The concept of crack unloading of cohesive crack model is proposed. The critical behavior (crack bifurcation, maximum loads) of the cohesive crack model are characterized by rate equations. The post-critical behavior of crack initiation is also studied.

  15. Unified risk analysis of fatigue failure in ductile alloy components during all three stages of fatigue crack evolution process.

    PubMed

    Patankar, Ravindra

    2003-10-01

    Statistical fatigue life of a ductile alloy specimen is traditionally divided into three stages, namely, crack nucleation, small crack growth, and large crack growth. Crack nucleation and small crack growth show a wide variation and hence a big spread on cycles versus crack length graph. Relatively, large crack growth shows a lesser variation. Therefore, different models are fitted to the different stages of the fatigue evolution process, thus treating different stages as different phenomena. With these independent models, it is impossible to predict one phenomenon based on the information available about the other phenomenon. Experimentally, it is easier to carry out crack length measurements of large cracks compared to nucleating cracks and small cracks. Thus, it is easier to collect statistical data for large crack growth compared to the painstaking effort it would take to collect statistical data for crack nucleation and small crack growth. This article presents a fracture mechanics-based stochastic model of fatigue crack growth in ductile alloys that are commonly encountered in mechanical structures and machine components. The model has been validated by Ray (1998) for crack propagation by various statistical fatigue data. Based on the model, this article proposes a technique to predict statistical information of fatigue crack nucleation and small crack growth properties that uses the statistical properties of large crack growth under constant amplitude stress excitation. The statistical properties of large crack growth under constant amplitude stress excitation can be obtained via experiments.

  16. Gear fatigue crack prognosis using embedded model, gear dynamic model and fracture mechanics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, C. James; Lee, Hyungdae

    2005-07-01

    This paper presents a model-based method that predicts remaining useful life of a gear with a fatigue crack. The method consists of an embedded model to identify gear meshing stiffness from measured gear torsional vibration, an inverse method to estimate crack size from the estimated meshing stiffness; a gear dynamic model to simulate gear meshing dynamics and determine the dynamic load on the cracked tooth; and a fast crack propagation model to forecast the remaining useful life based on the estimated crack size and dynamic load. The fast crack propagation model was established to avoid repeated calculations of FEM and facilitate field deployment of the proposed method. Experimental studies were conducted to validate and demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed method for prognosis of a cracked gear.

  17. Modeling Transverse Cracking in Laminates With a Single Layer of Elements Per Ply

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Van Der Meer, Frans P.; Davila, Carlos G.

    2012-01-01

    The objective of the present paper is to investigate the ability of mesolevel X-FEM models with a single layer of elements per ply to capture accurately all aspects of matrix cracking. In particular, we examine whether the model can predict the insitu ply thickness effect on crack initiation and propagation, the crack density as a function of strain, the strain for crack saturation, and the interaction between delamination and transverse cracks. Results reveal that the simplified model does not capture correctly the shear-lag relaxation of the stress field on either side of a crack, which leads to an overprediction of the crack density. It is also shown, however, that after onset of delamination many of the inserted matrix cracks close again, and that the density of open cracks becomes similar to the density predicted by the detailed model. The degree to which the spurious cracks affect the global response is quantified and the reliability of the mesolevel approach with a single layer of elements per ply is discussed.

  18. Identification of cracks in thick beams with a cracked beam element model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hou, Chuanchuan; Lu, Yong

    2016-12-01

    The effect of a crack on the vibration of a beam is a classical problem, and various models have been proposed, ranging from the basic stiffness reduction method to the more sophisticated model involving formulation based on the additional flexibility due to a crack. However, in the damage identification or finite element model updating applications, it is still common practice to employ a simple stiffness reduction factor to represent a crack in the identification process, whereas the use of a more realistic crack model is rather limited. In this paper, the issues with the simple stiffness reduction method, particularly concerning thick beams, are highlighted along with a review of several other crack models. A robust finite element model updating procedure is then presented for the detection of cracks in beams. The description of the crack parameters is based on the cracked beam flexibility formulated by means of the fracture mechanics, and it takes into consideration of shear deformation and coupling between translational and longitudinal vibrations, and thus is particularly suitable for thick beams. The identification procedure employs a global searching technique using Genetic Algorithms, and there is no restriction on the location, severity and the number of cracks to be identified. The procedure is verified to yield satisfactory identification for practically any configurations of cracks in a beam.

  19. Cyclic fatigue-crack propagation, stress-corrosion, and fracture-toughness behavior in pyrolytic carbon-coated graphite for prosthetic heart valve applications.

    PubMed

    Ritchie, R O; Dauskardt, R H; Yu, W K; Brendzel, A M

    1990-02-01

    Fracture-mechanics tests were performed to characterize the cyclic fatigue, stress-corrosion cracking, and fracture-toughness behavior of a pyrolytic carbon-coated graphite composite material used in the manufacture of cardiac valve prostheses. Testing was carried out using compact tension C(T) samples containing "atomically" sharp precracks, both in room-temperature air and principally in a simulated physiological environment of 37 degrees C Ringer's lactate solution. Under sustained (monotonic) loads, the composite exhibited resistance-curve behavior, with a fracture toughness (KIc) between 1.1 and 1.9 MPa square root of m, and subcritical stress-corrosion crack velocities (da/dt) which were a function of the stress intensity K raised to the 74th power (over the range approximately 10(-9) to over 10(-5) m/s). More importantly, contrary to common perception, under cyclic loading conditions the composite was found to display true (cyclic) fatigue failure in both environments; fatigue-crack growth rates (da/dN) were seen to be a function of the 19th power of the stress-intensity range delta K (over the range approximately 10(-11) to over 10(-8) m/cycle). As subcritical crack velocities under cyclic loading were found to be many orders of magnitude faster than those measured under equivalent monotonic loads and to occur at typically 45% lower stress-intensity levels, cyclic fatigue in pyrolytic carbon-coated graphite is reasoned to be a vital consideration in the design and life-prediction procedures of prosthetic devices manufactured from this material.

  20. NEAMS Update. Quarterly Report for January - March 2014

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Stan, Marius

    2014-08-01

    This quarterly report covers the following points: A fully three-dimensional smeared cracking model has been implemented and tested in BISON; DAKOTA-BISON was used to study the parameters that govern heat transfer across the fuel-cladding; Calculations of grain boundary mobility in UO 2 have been extended to high temperatures; Mesh adaptivity is being employed in MARMOT simulations to increase computational efficiency; Molecular dynamics simulations have shown correlation between atomic displacements and the anisotropic thermal conductivity in UO 2; The SHARP team continues to address the application of the toolkit to assembly deformations driven by reactivity feedback; The Nek5000 team has extendedmore » the low-Machnumber capability to mixtures with multiple species; The generalized cross section library has been tested for various fuel assemblies and reactor types; and The subgroup cross-section interface was successfully implemented in PROTEUS-SN (page 6).« less

  1. The viscoelastic behavior of notched glassy polymers

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Crook, R. A.; Letton, Alan

    1993-01-01

    In the bulk, glassy polymers exhibit a nonlinear viscoelastic response during deformation. Stress or strain induced damage (i.e. crazing, microshear banding) results in the production of nonrecoverable work and observed nonlinearity. Stress or strain dependent shift factors have been used to mathematically model the mechanical behavior of these polymers. Glassy polymers that have been notched, may exhibit very different load displacement response compared to the same material under bulk deformation. If a sharp notch is introduced into the body then loaded, the load displacement trace may appear to be single-valued in the absence of viscoelasticity and crack growth. This suggests the volume of damaged material is small compared to the overall dimensions of the specimen. The ability to produce a single-valued load-load-line displacement trace through the use of the Correspondence Principle may prove to be useful for fracture of viscoelastic materials.

  2. Mars Rover Mastcam View of Possible Mud Cracks

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-01-17

    This view of a Martian rock slab called "Old Soaker," which has a network of cracks that may have originated in drying mud, comes from the Mast Camera (Mastcam) on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover. The location is within an exposure of Murray formation mudstone on lower Mount Sharp inside Gale Crater. Mud cracks would be evidence of a time more than 3 billion years ago when dry intervals interrupted wetter periods that supported lakes in the area. Curiosity has found evidence of ancient lakes in older, lower-lying rock layers and also in younger mudstone that is above Old Soaker. Several images from Mastcam's left-eye camera are combined into this mosaic view. They were taken on Dec. 20, 2016, during the 1,555th Martian day, or sol, of Curiosity's work on Mars. The Old Soaker slab is about 4 feet (1.2 meters) long. Figure 1 includes a scale bar of 30 centimeters (12 inches). The scene is presented with a color adjustment that approximates white balancing, to resemble how the rocks and sand would appear under daytime lighting conditions on Earth. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21262

  3. Recent advances in the modelling of crack growth under fatigue loading conditions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dekoning, A. U.; Tenhoeve, H. J.; Henriksen, T. K.

    1994-01-01

    Fatigue crack growth associated with cyclic (secondary) plastic flow near a crack front is modelled using an incremental formulation. A new description of threshold behaviour under small load cycles is included. Quasi-static crack extension under high load excursions is described using an incremental formulation of the R-(crack growth resistance)- curve concept. The integration of the equations is discussed. For constant amplitude load cycles the results will be compared with existing crack growth laws. It will be shown that the model also properly describes interaction effects of fatigue crack growth and quasi-static crack extension. To evaluate the more general applicability the model is included in the NASGRO computer code for damage tolerance analysis. For this purpose the NASGRO program was provided with the CORPUS and the STRIP-YIELD models for computation of the crack opening load levels. The implementation is discussed and recent results of the verification are presented.

  4. An elastic-plastic fracture mechanics analysis of weld-toe surface cracks in fillet welded T-butt joint

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Fu, B.

    1994-12-31

    This paper describes an elastic-plastic fracture mechanics (EPFM) study of shallow weld-toe cracks. Two limiting crack configurations, plane strain edge crack and semi-circular surface crack in fillet welded T-butt plate joint, were analyzed using the finite element method. Crack depth ranging from 2 to 40% of plate thickness were considered. The elastic-plastic analysis, assuming power-law hardening relationship and Mises yield criterion, was based on incremental plasticity theory. Tension and bending loads applied were monotonically increased to a level causing relatively large scale yielding at the crack tip. Effects of weld-notch geometry and ductile material modeling on prediction of fracture mechanicsmore » characterizing parameter were assessed. It was found that the weld-notch effect reduces and the effect of material modeling increases as crack depth increases. Material modeling is less important than geometric modeling in analysis of very shallow cracks but is more important for relatively deeper cracks, e.g. crack depth more than 20% of thickness. The effect of material modeling can be assessed using a simplified structural model. Weld magnification factors derived assuming linear elastic conditions can be applied to EPFM characterization.« less

  5. Growth rate models for short surface cracks in AI 2219-T851

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Morris, W. L.; James, M. R.; Buck, O.

    1981-01-01

    Rates of fatigue propagation of short Mode I surface cracks in Al 2219-T851 are measured as a function of crack length and of the location of the surface crack tips relative to the grain boundaries. The measured rates are then compared to values predicted from crack growth models. The crack growth rate is modeled with an underlying assumption that slip responsible for early propagation does not extend in significant amounts beyond the next grain boundary in the direction of crack propagation. Two models that contain this assumption are combined: 1) cessation of propagation into a new grain until a mature plastic zone is developed; 2) retardation of propagation by crack closure stress, with closure stress calculated from the location of a crack tip relative to the grain boundary. The transition from short to long crack growth behavior is also discussed.

  6. Gear crack propagation investigations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lewicki, David G.; Ballarini, Roberto

    1996-01-01

    Analytical and experimental studies were performed to investigate the effect of gear rim thickness on crack propagation life. The FRANC (FRacture ANalysis Code) computer program was used to simulate crack propagation. The FRANC program used principles of linear elastic fracture mechanics, finite element modeling, and a unique re-meshing scheme to determine crack tip stress distributions, estimate stress intensity factors, and model crack propagation. Various fatigue crack growth models were used to estimate crack propagation life based on the calculated stress intensity factors. Experimental tests were performed in a gear fatigue rig to validate predicted crack propagation results. Test gears were installed with special crack propagation gages in the tooth fillet region to measure bending fatigue crack growth. Good correlation between predicted and measured crack growth was achieved when the fatigue crack closure concept was introduced into the analysis. As the gear rim thickness decreased, the compressive cyclic stress in the gear tooth fillet region increased. This retarded crack growth and increased the number of crack propagation cycles to failure.

  7. Theoretical predicting of permeability evolution in damaged rock under compressive stress

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vu, M. N.; Nguyen, S. T.; To, Q. D.; Dao, N. H.

    2017-05-01

    This paper outlines an analytical model of crack growth induced permeability changes. A theoretical solution of effective permeability of cracked porous media is derived. The fluid flow obeys Poisseuille's law along the crack and Darcy's law in the porous matrix. This solution exhibits a percolation threshold for any type of crack distribution apart from a parallel crack distribution. The physical behaviour of fluid flow through a cracked porous material is well reproduced by the proposed model. The presence of this effective permeability coupling to analytical expression of crack growth under compression enables the modelling of the permeability variation due to stress-induced cracking in a porous rock. This incorporation allows the prediction of the permeability change of a porous rock embedding an anisotropic crack distribution from any initial crack density, that is, lower, around or upper to percolation threshold. The interaction between cracks is not explicitly taken into account. The model is well applicable both to micro- and macrocracks.

  8. A New Optical Technique for Rapid Determination of Creep and Fatigue Thresholds at High Temperature.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1984-04-01

    measurements, made far away from the crack tip, produced much smoother and more sensible results. Measurements by Macha et al (16) agree very well with...dependent upon the measurement positin. It becomes independent of position far enough away from the tip; this is consistent with the results of Macha , et...D. E. Macha , W. N. Sharpe, Jr., and A. P. ’ral(11, ’.., "A Laser Interferometry Method for ,xp.rim,-rit;a1 Stress Intensity Factor Calibration", AST

  9. Materials and Morphology Study for Templated Hydrogen Solidification

    DOE PAGES

    Shin, Swanee J.; Kozioziemski, Bernard J.

    2017-11-29

    In this work, we performed a series of experiments to elucidate the characteristics of a good template for solid hydrogen nucleation. Zinc stands out among several materials with comparable size and shape. Nucleation could be observed to occur on top of sharp features, such as grain boundaries and cracks, but our attempts proved unsuccessful to fabricate or replicate such features. The variations of the supercooling (ΔT) values measured for comparable samples and the dependence of ΔT on the cell temperature cycling revealed that templated nucleation of solid hydrogen is a very delicate process.

  10. Discrete statistical model of fatigue crack growth in a Ni-base superalloy, capable of life prediction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Boyd-Lee, Ashley; King, Julia

    1992-07-01

    A discrete statistical model of fatigue crack growth in a nickel base superalloy Waspaloy, which is quantitative from the start of the short crack regime to failure, is presented. Instantaneous crack growth rate distributions and persistence of arrest distributions are used to compute fatigue lives and worst case scenarios without extrapolation. The basis of the model is non-material specific, it provides an improved method of analyzing crack growth rate data. For Waspaloy, the model shows the importance of good bulk fatigue crack growth resistance to resist early short fatigue crack growth and the importance of maximizing crack arrest both by the presence of a proportion of small grains and by maximizing grain boundary corrugation.

  11. A crack-closure model for predicting fatigue-crack growth under aircraft spectrum loading

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Newman, J. C., Jr.

    1981-01-01

    The development and application of an analytical model of cycle crack growth is presented that includes the effects of crack closure. The model was used to correlate crack growth rates under constant amplitude loading and to predict crack growth under aircraft spectrum loading on 2219-T851 aluminum alloy sheet material. The predicted crack growth lives agreed well with experimental data. The ratio of predicted to experimental lives ranged from 0.66 to 1.48. These predictions were made using data from an ASTM E24.06.01 Round Robin.

  12. Interaction of part-through cracks in a flat plate

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Aksel, B.; Erdogan, F.

    1985-01-01

    The accuracy of the line spring model is determined. The effect of interaction between two and three cracks is investigated, and extensive numerical results which may be useful in applications are provided. Line spring model with Reissner's plate theory is formulated to be used for any number and configurations of cracks provided that there is symmetry. This model is used to find stress intensity factors for elliptic internal cracks, elliptic edge cracks and two opposite elliptic edge cracks. Despite the simplicity of the line spring model, the results are found to be close.

  13. Application of the cohesive zone model for the evaluation of stiffness losses in a rotor with a transverse breathing crack

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Toni Liong, Rugerri; Proppe, Carsten

    2013-04-01

    The breathing mechanism of a transversely cracked rotor and its influence on a rotor system that appears due to shaft weight and inertia forces is studied. A method is proposed for the evaluation of the stiffness losses in the cross-section that contains the crack. This method is based on a cohesive zone model (CZM) instead of linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM). The CZM is developed for mode-I plane strain conditions and accounts explicitly for triaxiality of the stress state by using constitutive relations. The breathing crack is modelled by a parabolic shape. As long as the relative crack depth is small, a crack closure straight line model may be used, while the crack closure parabolic line should be used in the case of a deep crack. The CZM is also implemented in a one-dimensional continuum rotor model by means of finite element (FE) discretisation in order to predict and to analyse the dynamic behavior of a cracked rotor. The proposed method provides a useful tool for the analysis of rotor systems containing cracks.

  14. A re-evaluation of finite-element models and stress-intensity factors for surface cracks emanating from stress concentrations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tan, P. W.; Raju, I. S.; Shivakumar, K. N.; Newman, J. C., Jr.

    1988-01-01

    A re-evaluation of the 3-D finite-element models and methods used to analyze surface crack at stress concentrations is presented. Previous finite-element models used by Raju and Newman for surface and corner cracks at holes were shown to have ill-shaped elements at the intersection of the hole and crack boundaries. These ill-shaped elements tended to make the model too stiff and, hence, gave lower stress-intensity factors near the hole-crack intersection than models without these elements. Improved models, without these ill-shaped elements, were developed for a surface crack at a circular hole and at a semi-circular edge notch. Stress-intensity factors were calculated by both the nodal-force and virtual-crack-closure methods. Both methods and different models gave essentially the same results. Comparisons made between the previously developed stress-intensity factor equations and the results from the improved models agreed well except for configurations with large notch-radii-to-plate-thickness ratios. Stress-intensity factors for a semi-elliptical surface crack located at the center of a semi-circular edge notch in a plate subjected to remote tensile loadings were calculated using the improved models. The ratio of crack depth to crack length ranged form 0.4 to 2; the ratio of crack depth to plate thickness ranged from 0.2 to 0.8; and the ratio of notch radius to the plate thickness ranged from 1 to 3. The models had about 15,000 degrees-of-freedom. Stress-intensity factors were calculated by using the nodal-force method.

  15. Predicting laser weld reliability with stochastic reduced-order models. Predicting laser weld reliability

    DOE PAGES

    Emery, John M.; Field, Richard V.; Foulk, James W.; ...

    2015-05-26

    Laser welds are prevalent in complex engineering systems and they frequently govern failure. The weld process often results in partial penetration of the base metals, leaving sharp crack-like features with a high degree of variability in the geometry and material properties of the welded structure. Furthermore, accurate finite element predictions of the structural reliability of components containing laser welds requires the analysis of a large number of finite element meshes with very fine spatial resolution, where each mesh has different geometry and/or material properties in the welded region to address variability. We found that traditional modeling approaches could not bemore » efficiently employed. Consequently, a method is presented for constructing a surrogate model, based on stochastic reduced-order models, and is proposed to represent the laser welds within the component. Here, the uncertainty in weld microstructure and geometry is captured by calibrating plasticity parameters to experimental observations of necking as, because of the ductility of the welds, necking – and thus peak load – plays the pivotal role in structural failure. The proposed method is exercised for a simplified verification problem and compared with the traditional Monte Carlo simulation with rather remarkable results.« less

  16. A dynamic model of a cantilever beam with a closed, embedded horizontal crack including local flexibilities at crack tips

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, J.; Zhu, W. D.; Charalambides, P. G.; Shao, Y. M.; Xu, Y. F.; Fang, X. M.

    2016-11-01

    As one of major failure modes of mechanical structures subjected to periodic loads, embedded cracks due to fatigue can cause catastrophic failure of machineries. Understanding the dynamic characteristics of a structure with an embedded crack is helpful for early crack detection and diagnosis. In this work, a new three-segment beam model with local flexibilities at crack tips is developed to investigate the vibration of a cantilever beam with a closed, fully embedded horizontal crack, which is assumed to be not located at its clamped or free end or distributed near its top or bottom side. The three-segment beam model is assumed to be a linear elastic system, and it does not account for the nonlinear crack closure effect; the top and bottom segments always stay in contact at their interface during the beam vibration. It can model the effects of local deformations in the vicinity of the crack tips, which cannot be captured by previous methods in the literature. The middle segment of the beam containing the crack is modeled by a mechanically consistent, reduced bending moment. Each beam segment is assumed to be an Euler-Bernoulli beam, and the compliances at the crack tips are analytically determined using a J-integral approach and verified using commercial finite element software. Using compatibility conditions at the crack tips and the transfer matrix method, the nature frequencies and mode shapes of the cracked cantilever beam are obtained. The three-segment beam model is used to investigate the effects of local flexibilities at crack tips on the first three natural frequencies and mode shapes of the cracked cantilever beam. A stationary wavelet transform (SWT) method is used to process the mode shapes of the cracked cantilever beam; jumps in single-level SWT decomposition detail coefficients can be used to identify the length and location of an embedded horizontal crack.

  17. [Perceptual sharpness metric for visible and infrared color fusion images].

    PubMed

    Gao, Shao-Shu; Jin, Wei-Qi; Wang, Xia; Wang, Ling-Xue; Luo, Yuan

    2012-12-01

    For visible and infrared color fusion images, objective sharpness assessment model is proposed to measure the clarity of detail and edge definition of the fusion image. Firstly, the contrast sensitivity functions (CSF) of the human visual system is used to reduce insensitive frequency components under certain viewing conditions. Secondly, perceptual contrast model, which takes human luminance masking effect into account, is proposed based on local band-limited contrast model. Finally, the perceptual contrast is calculated in the region of interest (contains image details and edges) in the fusion image to evaluate image perceptual sharpness. Experimental results show that the proposed perceptual sharpness metrics provides better predictions, which are more closely matched to human perceptual evaluations, than five existing sharpness (blur) metrics for color images. The proposed perceptual sharpness metrics can evaluate the perceptual sharpness for color fusion images effectively.

  18. Modelling and measurement of crack closure and crack growth following overloads and underloads

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dexter, R. J.; Hudak, S. J.; Davidson, D. L.

    1989-01-01

    Ignoring crack growth retardation following overloads can result in overly conservative life predictions in structures subjected to variable amplitude fatigue loading. Crack closure is believed to contribute to the crack growth retardation, although the specific closure mechanism is dabatable. The delay period and corresponding crack growth rate transients following overload and overload/underload cycles were systematically measured as a function of load ratio and overload magnitude. These responses are correlated in terms of the local 'driving force' for crack growth, i.e. the effective stress intensity factor range. Experimental results are compared with the predictions of a Dugdale-type (1960) crack closure model, and improvements in the model are suggested.

  19. Ply cracking in composite laminates

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Han, Youngmyong.

    1989-01-01

    Ply cracking behavior and accompanying stiffness changes in thermoset as well as thermoplastic matrix composites under various loading conditions are investigated. Specific topics addressed are: analytical model development for property degradations due to ply cracking under general in-plane loading; crack initiation and multiplication under static loading; and crack multiplication under cyclic loading. A model was developed to calculate the energy released due to ply cracking in a composite laminate subjected to general in-plane loading. The method is based on the use of a second order polynomial to represent the crack opening displacement and the concept of a through-the-thickness inherent flaw.more » The model is then used in conjunction with linear elastic fracture mechanics to predict the progressive ply cracking as well as first ply cracking. A resistance curve for crack multiplication is proposed as a means of characterizing the resistance to ply cracking in composite laminates. A methodology of utilizing the resistance curve to assess the crack density or overloading is also discussed. The method was applied to the graphite/thermoplastic polyimide composite to predict progressive ply cracking. However, unlike the thermoset matrix composites, a strength model is found to fit the experimental results better than the fracture mechanics based model. A set of closed form equations is also developed to calculate the accompanying stiffness changes due to the ply cracking. The effect of thermal residual stress is included in the analysis. A new method is proposed to characterize transverse ply cracking of symmetric balanced laminates under cyclic loading. The method is based on the concept of a through-the-thickness inherent flaw, the Paris law, and the resistance curve. Only two constants are needed to predict the crack density as a function of fatigue cycles.« less

  20. Evaluation of Elber's Crack Closure Model as an Explanation of Train Load Sequence Effects on Crack Growth Rates

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1990-06-01

    Elber's crack closure model is studied in relation to the results of laboratory spectrum crack growth tests on compact tension specimens (CTS) fabricated from rail effected by mean of an analysis of a center cracked panel (CCP) subjected to an equiva...

  1. Corrosion fatigue crack propagation in metals

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gangloff, Richard P.

    1990-01-01

    This review assesses fracture mechanics data and mechanistic models for corrosion fatigue crack propagation in structural alloys exposed to ambient temperature gases and electrolytes. Extensive stress intensity-crack growth rate data exist for ferrous, aluminum and nickel based alloys in a variety of environments. Interactive variables (viz., stress intensity range, mean stress, alloy composition and microstructure, loading frequency, temperature, gas pressure and electrode potential) strongly affect crack growth kinetics and complicate fatigue control. Mechanistic models to predict crack growth rates were formulated by coupling crack tip mechanics with occluded crack chemistry, and from both the hydrogen embrittlement and anodic dissolution/film rupture perspectives. Research is required to better define: (1) environmental effects near threshold and on crack closure; (2) damage tolerant life prediction codes and the validity of similitude; (3) the behavior of microcrack; (4) probes and improved models of crack tip damage; and (5) the cracking performance of advanced alloys and composites.

  2. Mode I stress intensity factors of slanted cracks in plates

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ismail, Al Emran; Ghazali, Mohd Zubir Mohd; Nor, Nik Hisyamudin Muhd

    2017-01-01

    This paper presents the roles of slanted cracks on the stress intensity factors (SIF) under mode I tension and bending loading. Based on the literature survey, lack of solution of SIFs of slanted cracks in plain strain plates are available. In this work, the cracks are modelled numerically using ANSYS finite element program. There are two important parameters such as slanted angles and relative crack length. SIFs at the crack tips are calculated according to domain integral method. Before the model is further used, it is validated with the existing model. It is found that the present model is well agreed with the previous model. According to finite element analysis, there are not only mode I SIFs produced but also mode II. As expected the SIFs increased as the relative crack length increased. However, when slanted angles are introduced (slightly higher than normal crack), the SIFs increased. Once the angles are further increased, the SIFs decreased gradually however they are still higher than the SIFs of normal cracks. For mode II SIFs, higher the slanted angels higher the SIFs. This is due to the fact that when the cracks are slanted, the cracked plates are not only failed due to mode I but a combination between both modes I and II.

  3. Dislocation mechanism based model for stage II fatigue crack propagation rate

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mazumdar, P. K.

    1986-01-01

    Repeated plastic deformation, which of course depends on dislocation mechanism, at or near the crack tip leads to the fatigue crack propagation. By involving the theory of thermally activated flow and the cumulative plastic strain criterion, an effort is made here to model the stage II fatigue crack propagation rate in terms of the dislocation mechanism. The model, therefore, provides capability to ascertain: (1) the dislocation mechanism (and hence the near crack tip microstructures) assisting the crack growth, (2) the relative resistance of dislocation mechanisms to the crack growth, and (3) the fracture surface characteristics and its interpretation in terms of the dislocation mechanism. The local microstructure predicted for the room temperature crack growth in copper by this model is in good agreement with the experimental results taken from the literature. With regard to the relative stability of such dislocation mechanisms as the cross-slip and the dislocation intersection, the model suggests an enhancement of crack growth rate with an ease of cross-slip which in general promotes dislocation cell formation and is common in material which has high stacking fault energy (produces wavy slips). Cross-slip apparently enhances crack growth rate by promoting slip irreversibility and fracture surface brittleness to a greater degree.

  4. Small fatigue cracks; Proceedings of the Second International Conference/Workshop, Santa Barbara, CA, Jan. 5-10, 1986

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Ritchie, R.O.; Lankford, J.

    Topics discussed in this volume include crack initiation and stage I growth, microstructure effects, crack closure, environment effects, the role of notches, analytical modeling, fracture mechanics characterization, experimental techniques, and engineering applications. Papers are presented on fatigue crack initiation along slip bands, the effect of microplastic surface deformation on the growth of small cracks, short fatigue crack behavior in relation to three-dimensional aspects and the crack closure effect, the influence of crack depth on crack electrochemistry and fatigue crack growth, and nondamaging notches in fatigue. Consideration is also given to models of small fatigue cracks, short crack theory, assessment ofmore » the growth of small flaws from residual strength data, the relevance of short crack behavior to the integrity of major rotating aero engine components, and the relevance of short fatigue crack growth data to the durability and damage tolerance analyses of aircraft.« less

  5. A Crack Growth Evaluation Method for Interacting Multiple Cracks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kamaya, Masayuki

    When stress corrosion cracking or corrosion fatigue occurs, multiple cracks are frequently initiated in the same area. According to section XI of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, multiple cracks are considered as a single combined crack in crack growth analysis, if the specified conditions are satisfied. In crack growth processes, however, no prescription for the interference between multiple cracks is given in this code. The JSME Post-Construction Code, issued in May 2000, prescribes the conditions of crack coalescence in the crack growth process. This study aimed to extend this prescription to more general cases. A simulation model was applied, to simulate the crack growth process, taking into account the interference between two cracks. This model made it possible to analyze multiple crack growth behaviors for many cases (e. g. different relative position and length) that could not be studied by experiment only. Based on these analyses, a new crack growth analysis method was suggested for taking into account the interference between multiple cracks.

  6. Driving force for indentation cracking in glass: composition, pressure and temperature dependence

    PubMed Central

    Rouxel, Tanguy

    2015-01-01

    The occurrence of damage at the surface of glass parts caused by sharp contact loading is a major issue for glass makers, suppliers and end-users. Yet, it is still a poorly understood problem from the viewpoints both of glass science and solid mechanics. Different microcracking patterns are observed at indentation sites depending on the glass composition and indentation cracks may form during both the loading and the unloading stages. Besides, we do not know much about the fracture toughness of glass and its composition dependence, so that setting a criterion for crack initiation and predicting the extent of the damage yet remain out of reach. In this study, by comparison of the behaviour of glasses from very different chemical systems and by identifying experimentally the individual contributions of the different rheological processes leading to the formation of the imprint—namely elasticity, densification and shear flow—we obtain a fairly straightforward prediction of the type and extent of the microcracks which will most likely form, depending on the physical properties of the glass. Finally, some guidelines to reduce the driving force for microcracking are proposed in the light of the effects of composition, temperature and pressure, and the areas for further research are briefly discussed. PMID:25713446

  7. A Crack Closure Model and Its Application to Vibrothermography Nondestructive Evaluation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schiefelbein, Bryan Edward

    Vibrothermography nondestructive evaluation (NDE) is in the early stages of research and development, and there exists uncertainty in the fundamental mechanisms and processes by which heat generation occurs. Holland et al. have developed a set of tools which simulate and predict the outcome of a vibrothermography inspection by breaking the inspection into three distinct processes: vibrational excitation, heat generation, and thermal imaging. The stage of vibrothermography which is not well understood is the process by which vibrations are converted to heat at the crack surface. It has been shown that crack closure and closure state impact the resulting heat generation. Despite this, research into the link between partial crack closure and vibrothermography is limited. This work seeks to rectify this gap in knowledge by modeling the behavior of a partially closed crack in response to static external loading and a dynamic vibration. The residual strains left by the plastic wake during fatigue crack growth manifest themselves as contact stresses acting at the crack surface interface. In response to an applied load below the crack opening stress, the crack closure state will evolve, but the crack will remain partially closed. The crack closure model developed in this work is based in linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) and describes the behavior of a partially closed crack in response to a tensile external load and non-uniform closure stress distribution. The model builds on work by Fleck to describe the effective length, crack opening displacement, and crack tip stress field for a partially closed crack. These quantities are solved for by first establishing an equilibrium condition which governs the effective or apparent length of the partially closed crack. The equilibrium condition states that, under any external or crack surface loading, the effective crack tip will be located where the effective stress intensity factor is zero. In LEFM, this is equivalent to saying that the effective crack tip is located where the stress singularity vanishes. If the closure stresses are unknown, the model provides an algorithm with which to solve for the distribution, given measurements of the effective crack length as a function of external load. Within literature, a number of heating mechanisms have been proposed as being dominant in vibrothermography. These include strain hysteresis, adhesion hysteresis, plastic flow, thermoelasticity, and sliding friction. Based on experimental observation and theory, this work eliminates strain hysteresis, thermoelasticity, and plastic flow as plausible heating mechanisms. This leaves friction and adhesion hysteresis as the only plausible mechanisms. Frictional heating is based on the classical Coulomb friction model, while adhesion hysteresis heating comes from irreversibility in surface adhesion. Adhesion hysteresis only satisfies the experimental observation that heating vanishes for high compressive loading if surface roughness and the instability of surface adhesion is considered. By understanding the fundamental behavior of a partially closed crack in response to non-uniform loading, and the link between crack surface motion and heat generation, we are one step closer to a fully predictive vibrothermography heat generation model. Future work is needed to extend the crack closure model to a two-dimensional semi-elliptical surface crack and better understand the distinction between frictional and adhesion heating.

  8. Crack deflection: Implications for the growth of long and short fatigue cracks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Suresh, S.

    1983-11-01

    The influences of crack deflection on the growth rates of nominally Mode I fatigue cracks are examined. Previous theoretical analyses of stress intensity solutions for kinked elastic cracks are reviewed. Simple elastic deflection models are developed to estimate the growth rates of nonlinear fatigue cracks subjected to various degrees of deflection, by incorporating changes in the effective driving force and in the apparent propagation rates. Experimental data are presented for intermediate-quenched and step-quenched conditions of Fe/2Si/0.1C ferrite-martensite dual phase steel, where variations in crack morphology alone influence considerably the fatigue crack propagation rates and threshold stress intensity range values. Such results are found to be in good quantitative agreement with the deflection model predictions of propagation rates for nonlinear cracks. Experimental information on crack deflection, induced by variable amplitude loading, is also provided for 2020-T651 aluminum alloy. It is demonstrated with the aid of elastic analyses and experiments that crack deflection models offer a physically-appealing rationale for the apparently slower growth rates of long fatigue cracks subjected to constant and variable amplitude loading and for the apparent deceleration and/or arrest of short cracks. The changes in the propagation rates of deflected fatigue cracks are discussed in terms of the local mode of crack advance, microstructure, effective driving force, growth mechanisms, mean stress, slip characteristics, and crack closure.

  9. Discrete Element Model for Simulations of Early-Life Thermal Fracturing Behaviors in Ceramic Nuclear Fuel Pellets

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hai Huang; Ben Spencer; Jason Hales

    2014-10-01

    A discrete element Model (DEM) representation of coupled solid mechanics/fracturing and heat conduction processes has been developed and applied to explicitly simulate the random initiations and subsequent propagations of interacting thermal cracks in a ceramic nuclear fuel pellet during initial rise to power and during power cycles. The DEM model clearly predicts realistic early-life crack patterns including both radial cracks and circumferential cracks. Simulation results clearly demonstrate the formation of radial cracks during the initial power rise, and formation of circumferential cracks as the power is ramped down. In these simulations, additional early-life power cycles do not lead to themore » formation of new thermal cracks. They do, however clearly indicate changes in the apertures of thermal cracks during later power cycles due to thermal expansion and shrinkage. The number of radial cracks increases with increasing power, which is consistent with the experimental observations.« less

  10. Investigation of wing crack formation with a combined phase-field and experimental approach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lee, Sanghyun; Reber, Jacqueline E.; Hayman, Nicholas W.; Wheeler, Mary F.

    2016-08-01

    Fractures that propagate off of weak slip planes are known as wing cracks and often play important roles in both tectonic deformation and fluid flow across reservoir seals. Previous numerical models have produced the basic kinematics of wing crack openings but generally have not been able to capture fracture geometries seen in nature. Here we present both a phase-field modeling approach and a physical experiment using gelatin for a wing crack formation. By treating the fracture surfaces as diffusive zones instead of as discontinuities, the phase-field model does not require consideration of unpredictable rock properties or stress inhomogeneities around crack tips. It is shown by benchmarking the models with physical experiments that the numerical assumptions in the phase-field approach do not affect the final model predictions of wing crack nucleation and growth. With this study, we demonstrate that it is feasible to implement the formation of wing cracks in large scale phase-field reservoir models.

  11. Evaluation of finite-element models and stress-intensity factors for surface cracks emanating from stress concentrations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tan, P. W.; Raju, I. S.; Shivakumar, K. N.; Newman, J. C., Jr.

    1990-01-01

    A re-evaluation of the 3-D finite-element models and methods used to analyze surface crack at stress concentrations is presented. Previous finite-element models used by Raju and Newman for surface and corner cracks at holes were shown to have ill-shaped elements at the intersection of the hole and crack boundaries. Improved models, without these ill-shaped elements, were developed for a surface crack at a circular hole and at a semi-circular edge notch. Stress-intensity factors were calculated by both the nodal-force and virtual-crack-closure methods. Comparisons made between the previously developed stress-intensity factor equations and the results from the improved models agreed well except for configurations with large notch-radii-to-plate-thickness ratios. Stress-intensity factors for a semi-elliptical surface crack located at the center of a semi-circular edge notch in a plate subjected to remote tensile loadings were calculated using the improved models.

  12. On the impact bending test technique for high-strength pipe steels

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Arsenkin, A. M.; Odesskii, P. D.; Shabalov, I. P.; Likhachev, M. V.

    2015-10-01

    It is shown that the impact toughness (KCV-40 = 250 J/cm2) accepted for pipe steels of strength class K65 (σy ≥ 550 MPa) intended for large-diameter gas line pipes is ineffective to classify steels in fracture strength. The results obtained upon testing of specimens with a fatigue crack and additional sharp lateral grooves seem to be more effective. In energy consumption, a macrorelief with splits is found to be intermediate between ductile fracture and crystalline brittle fracture. A split formation mechanism is considered and a scheme is proposed for split formation.

  13. Proof test and fatigue crack growth modeling on 2024-T3 aluminum alloy

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Newman, J. C., Jr.; Poe, C. C., Jr.; Dawicke, D. S.

    1990-01-01

    Pressure proof testing of aircraft fuselage structures has been suggested as a means of screening critical crack sizes and of extending their useful life. The objective of this paper is to study the proof-test concept and to model the crack-growth process on a ductile material. Simulated proof and operational fatigue life tests have been conducted on cracked panels made of 2024-T3 aluminum alloy sheet material. A fatigue crack-closure model was modified to simulate the proof test and operational fatigue cycling. Using crack-growth rate and resistance-curve data, the model was able to predict crack growth during and after the proof load. These tests and analyses indicate that the proof test increases fatigue life; but the beneficial life, after a 1.33 or 1.5 proof, was less than a few hundred cycles.

  14. Simulation of fatigue crack growth under large scale yielding conditions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schweizer, Christoph; Seifert, Thomas; Riedel, Hermann

    2010-07-01

    A simple mechanism based model for fatigue crack growth assumes a linear correlation between the cyclic crack-tip opening displacement (ΔCTOD) and the crack growth increment (da/dN). The objective of this work is to compare analytical estimates of ΔCTOD with results of numerical calculations under large scale yielding conditions and to verify the physical basis of the model by comparing the predicted and the measured evolution of the crack length in a 10%-chromium-steel. The material is described by a rate independent cyclic plasticity model with power-law hardening and Masing behavior. During the tension-going part of the cycle, nodes at the crack-tip are released such that the crack growth increment corresponds approximately to the crack-tip opening. The finite element analysis performed in ABAQUS is continued for so many cycles until a stabilized value of ΔCTOD is reached. The analytical model contains an interpolation formula for the J-integral, which is generalized to account for cyclic loading and crack closure. Both simulated and estimated ΔCTOD are reasonably consistent. The predicted crack length evolution is found to be in good agreement with the behavior of microcracks observed in a 10%-chromium steel.

  15. DUCTILE-PHASE TOUGHENED TUNGSTEN FOR PLASMA-FACING MATERIALS IN FUSION REACTORS

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Henager, Charles H.; Setyawan, Wahyu; Roosendaal, Timothy J.

    2017-05-01

    Tungsten (W) and W-alloys are the leading candidates for plasma-facing components in nuclear fusion reactor designs because of their high melting point, strength retention at high temperatures, high thermal conductivity, and low sputtering yield. However, tungsten is brittle and does not exhibit the required fracture toughness for licensing in nuclear applications. A promising approach to increasing fracture toughness of W-alloys is by ductile-phase toughening (DPT). In this method, a ductile phase is included in a brittle matrix to prevent on inhibit crack propagation by crack blunting, crack bridging, crack deflection, and crack branching. Model examples of DPT tungsten are exploredmore » in this study, including W-Cu and W-Ni-Fe powder product composites. Three-point and four-point notched and/or pre-cracked bend samples were tested at several strain rates and temperatures to help understand deformation, cracking, and toughening in these materials. Data from these tests are used for developing and calibrating crack-bridging models. Finite element damage mechanics models are introduced as a modeling method that appears to capture the complexity of crack growth in these materials.« less

  16. Local conditions separating expansion from collapse in spherically symmetric models with anisotropic pressures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mimoso, José P.; Le Delliou, Morgan; Mena, Filipe C.

    2013-08-01

    We investigate spherically symmetric spacetimes with an anisotropic fluid and discuss the existence and stability of a separating shell dividing expanding and collapsing regions. We resort to a 3+1 splitting and obtain gauge invariant conditions relating intrinsic spacetime quantities to properties of the matter source. We find that the separating shell is defined by a generalization of the Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff equilibrium condition. The latter establishes a balance between the pressure gradients, both isotropic and anisotropic, and the strength of the fields induced by the Misner-Sharp mass inside the separating shell and by the pressure fluxes. This defines a local equilibrium condition, but conveys also a nonlocal character given the definition of the Misner-Sharp mass. By the same token, it is also a generalized thermodynamical equation of state as usually interpreted for the perfect fluid case, which now has the novel feature of involving both the isotropic and the anisotropic stresses. We have cast the governing equations in terms of local, gauge invariant quantities that are revealing of the role played by the anisotropic pressures and inhomogeneous electric part of the Weyl tensor. We analyze a particular solution with dust and radiation that provides an illustration of our conditions. In addition, our gauge invariant formalism not only encompasses the cracking process from Herrera and co-workers but also reveals transparently the interplay and importance of the shear and of the anisotropic stresses.

  17. Line spring model and its applications to part-through crack problems in plates and shells

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Erdogan, Fazil; Aksel, Bulent

    1988-01-01

    The line spring model is described and extended to cover the problem of interaction of multiple internal and surface cracks in plates and shells. The shape functions for various related crack geometries obtained from the plane strain solution and the results of some multiple crack problems are presented. The problems considered include coplanar surface cracks on the same or opposite sides of a plate, nonsymmetrically located coplanar internal elliptic cracks, and in a very limited way the surface and corner cracks in a plate of finite width and a surface crack in a cylindrical shell with fixed end.

  18. Line Spring Model and Its Applications to Part-Through Crack Problems in Plates and Shells

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Erdogan, F.; Aksel, B.

    1986-01-01

    The line spring model is described and extended to cover the problem of interaction of multiple internal and surface cracks in plates and shells. The shape functions for various related crack geometries obtained from the plane strain solution and the results of some multiple crack problems are presented. The problems considered include coplanar surface cracks on the same or opposite sides of a plate, nonsymmetrically located coplanar internal elliptic cracks, and in a very limited way the surface and corner cracks in a plate of finite width and a surface crack in a cylindrical shell with fixed end.

  19. Stress Intensity Factors of Slanted Cracks in Bi-Material Plates

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ismail, Al Emran; Azhar Kamarudin, Kamarul; Nor, Nik Hisyamudin Muhd

    2017-10-01

    In this study, the stress intensity factors (SIF) of slanted cracks in bi-material plates subjected to mode I loading is numerically solved. Based on the literature survey, tremendous amount of research works are available studying the normal cracks in both similar and dissimilar plates. However, lack of SIF behavior for slanted cracks especially when it is embedded in bi-material plates. The slanted cracks are then modelled numerically using ANSYS finite element program. Two plates of different in mechanical properties are firmly bonded obliquely and then slanted edge cracks are introduced at the lower inclined edge. Isoparametric singular element is used to model the crack tip and the SIF is determined which is based on the domain integral method. Three mechanical mismatched and four slanted angles are used to model the cracks. According to the present results, the effects of mechanical mismatch on the SIF for normal cracks are not significant. However, it is played an important role when slanted angles are introduced. It is suggested that higher SIF can be obtained when the cracks are inclined comparing with the normal cracks. Consequently, accelerating the crack growth at the interface between two distinct materials.

  20. A probabilistic fatigue analysis of multiple site damage

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rohrbaugh, S. M.; Ruff, D.; Hillberry, B. M.; Mccabe, G.; Grandt, A. F., Jr.

    1994-01-01

    The variability in initial crack size and fatigue crack growth is incorporated in a probabilistic model that is used to predict the fatigue lives for unstiffened aluminum alloy panels containing multiple site damage (MSD). The uncertainty of the damage in the MSD panel is represented by a distribution of fatigue crack lengths that are analytically derived from equivalent initial flaw sizes. The variability in fatigue crack growth rate is characterized by stochastic descriptions of crack growth parameters for a modified Paris crack growth law. A Monte-Carlo simulation explicitly describes the MSD panel by randomly selecting values from the stochastic variables and then grows the MSD cracks with a deterministic fatigue model until the panel fails. Different simulations investigate the influences of the fatigue variability on the distributions of remaining fatigue lives. Six cases that consider fixed and variable conditions of initial crack size and fatigue crack growth rate are examined. The crack size distribution exhibited a dominant effect on the remaining fatigue life distribution, and the variable crack growth rate exhibited a lesser effect on the distribution. In addition, the probabilistic model predicted that only a small percentage of the life remains after a lead crack develops in the MSD panel.

  1. Analytical and numerical solutions for heat transfer and effective thermal conductivity of cracked media

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tran, A. B.; Vu, M. N.; Nguyen, S. T.; Dong, T. Q.; Le-Nguyen, K.

    2018-02-01

    This paper presents analytical solutions to heat transfer problems around a crack and derive an adaptive model for effective thermal conductivity of cracked materials based on singular integral equation approach. Potential solution of heat diffusion through two-dimensional cracked media, where crack filled by air behaves as insulator to heat flow, is obtained in a singular integral equation form. It is demonstrated that the temperature field can be described as a function of temperature and rate of heat flow on the boundary and the temperature jump across the cracks. Numerical resolution of this boundary integral equation allows determining heat conduction and effective thermal conductivity of cracked media. Moreover, writing this boundary integral equation for an infinite medium embedding a single crack under a far-field condition allows deriving the closed-form solution of temperature discontinuity on the crack and particularly the closed-form solution of temperature field around the crack. These formulas are then used to establish analytical effective medium estimates. Finally, the comparison between the developed numerical and analytical solutions allows developing an adaptive model for effective thermal conductivity of cracked media. This model takes into account both the interaction between cracks and the percolation threshold.

  2. Application of the bridged crack model for evaluation of materials repairing and self-healing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Perelmuter, M.

    2017-12-01

    The bridged crack model is used for analysis of repairing and self-healing of cracked structures. Material repairing is treated as insertions of external ligaments into cracks or placement of the reinforcing patches over cracks. Bonds destruction and regeneration at the crack bridged zone is evaluated by the thermo-fluctuation kinetic theory. The healing time is dependent on the chemical reaction rate of the healing agent, the crack size and the external loads. The decreasing of the stress intensity factors is used as the measure of the repairing and healing effects. The mathematical background of the problem solution is based on the methods of the singular integral-differential equations. The model can be used for the evaluation of composite materials durability.

  3. A penny-shaped crack in a filament-reinforced matrix. I - The filament model. II - The crack problem

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Erdogan, F.; Pacella, A. H.

    1974-01-01

    The study deals with the elastostatic problem of a penny-shaped crack in an elastic matrix which is reinforced by filaments or fibers perpendicular to the plane of the crack. An elastic filament model is first developed, followed by consideration of the application of the model to the penny-shaped crack problem in which the filaments of finite length are asymmetrically distributed around the crack. Since the primary interest is in the application of the results to studies relating to the fracture of fiber or filament-reinforced composites and reinforced concrete, the main emphasis of the study is on the evaluation of the stress intensity factor along the periphery of the crack, the stresses in the filaments or fibers, and the interface shear between the matrix and the filaments or fibers. Using the filament model developed, the elastostatic interaction problem between a penny-shaped crack and a slender inclusion or filament in an elastic matrix is formulated.

  4. Surface-crack growth: Models, experiments, and structures; Proceedings of the Symposium, Sparks, NV, Apr. 25, 1988

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Reuter, Walter G. (Editor); Underwood, John H. (Editor); Newman, James C., Jr. (Editor)

    1990-01-01

    The present volume on surface-crack growth modeling, experimental methods, and structures, discusses elastoplastic behavior, the fracture analysis of three-dimensional bodies with surface cracks, optical measurements of free-surface effects on natural surfaces and through cracks, an optical and finite-element investigation of a plastically deformed surface flaw under tension, fracture behavior prediction for rapidly loaded surface-cracked specimens, and surface cracks in thick laminated fiber composite plates. Also discussed are a novel study procedure for crack initiation and growth in thermal fatigue testing, the growth of surface cracks under fatigue and monotonically increasing load, the subcritical growth of a surface flaw, surface crack propagation in notched and unnotched rods, and theoretical and experimental analyses of surface cracks in weldments.

  5. Growth model for large branched three-dimensional hydraulic crack system in gas or oil shale

    PubMed Central

    Chau, Viet T.

    2016-01-01

    Recent analysis of gas outflow histories at wellheads shows that the hydraulic crack spacing must be of the order of 0.1 m (rather than 1 m or 10 m). Consequently, the existing models, limited to one or several cracks, are unrealistic. The reality is 105–106 almost vertical hydraulic cracks per fracking stage. Here, we study the growth of two intersecting near-orthogonal systems of parallel hydraulic cracks spaced at 0.1 m, preferably following pre-existing rock joints. One key idea is that, to model lateral cracks branching from a primary crack wall, crack pressurization, by viscous Poiseuille-type flow, of compressible (proppant-laden) frac water must be complemented with the pressurization of a sufficient volume of micropores and microcracks by Darcy-type water diffusion into the shale, to generate tension along existing crack walls, overcoming the strength limit of the cohesive-crack or crack-band model. A second key idea is that enforcing the equilibrium of stresses in cracks, pores and water, with the generation of tension in the solid phase, requires a new three-phase medium concept, which is transitional between Biot’s two-phase medium and Terzaghi’s effective stress and introduces the loading of the solid by pressure gradients of diffusing pore water. A computer program, combining finite elements for deformation and fracture with volume elements for water flow, is developed to validate the new model. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Energy and the subsurface’. PMID:27597791

  6. Growth model for large branched three-dimensional hydraulic crack system in gas or oil shale.

    PubMed

    Chau, Viet T; Bažant, Zdeněk P; Su, Yewang

    2016-10-13

    Recent analysis of gas outflow histories at wellheads shows that the hydraulic crack spacing must be of the order of 0.1 m (rather than 1 m or 10 m). Consequently, the existing models, limited to one or several cracks, are unrealistic. The reality is 10(5)-10(6) almost vertical hydraulic cracks per fracking stage. Here, we study the growth of two intersecting near-orthogonal systems of parallel hydraulic cracks spaced at 0.1 m, preferably following pre-existing rock joints. One key idea is that, to model lateral cracks branching from a primary crack wall, crack pressurization, by viscous Poiseuille-type flow, of compressible (proppant-laden) frac water must be complemented with the pressurization of a sufficient volume of micropores and microcracks by Darcy-type water diffusion into the shale, to generate tension along existing crack walls, overcoming the strength limit of the cohesive-crack or crack-band model. A second key idea is that enforcing the equilibrium of stresses in cracks, pores and water, with the generation of tension in the solid phase, requires a new three-phase medium concept, which is transitional between Biot's two-phase medium and Terzaghi's effective stress and introduces the loading of the solid by pressure gradients of diffusing pore water. A computer program, combining finite elements for deformation and fracture with volume elements for water flow, is developed to validate the new model.This article is part of the themed issue 'Energy and the subsurface'. © 2016 The Author(s).

  7. Fatigue crack growth with single overload - Measurement and modeling

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Davidson, D. L.; Hudak, S. J., Jr.; Dexter, R. J.

    1987-01-01

    This paper compares experiments with an analytical model of fatigue crack growth under variable amplitude. The stereoimaging technique was used to measure displacements near the tips of fatigue cracks undergoing simple variations in load amplitude-single overloads and overload/underload combinations. Measured displacements were used to compute strains, and stresses were determined from the strains. Local values of crack driving force (Delta-K effective) were determined using both locally measured opening loads and crack tip opening displacements. Experimental results were compared with simulations made for the same load variation conditions using Newman's FAST-2 model. Residual stresses caused by overloads, crack opening loads, and growth retardation periods were compared.

  8. Modeling the dynamic stiffness of cracked reinforced concrete beams under low-amplitude vibration loads

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xu, Tengfei; Castel, Arnaud

    2016-04-01

    In this paper, a model, initially developed to calculate the stiffness of cracked reinforced concrete beams under static loading, is used to assess the dynamic stiffness. The model allows calculating the average inertia of cracked beams by taking into account the effect of bending cracks (primary cracks) and steel-concrete bond damage (i.e. interfacial microcracks). Free and forced vibration experiments are used to assess the performance of the model. The respective influence of bending cracks and steel-concrete bond damage on both static and dynamic responses is analyzed. The comparison between experimental and simulated deflections confirms that the effects of both bending cracks and steel-concrete bond loss should be taken into account to assess reinforced concrete stiffness under service static loading. On the contrary, comparison of experimental and calculated dynamic responses reveals that localized steel-concrete bond damages do not influence significantly the dynamic stiffness and the fundamental frequency.

  9. Creep and stress rupture of a mechanically alloyed oxide dispersion and precipitation strengthened nickel-base superalloy

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Howson, T. E.; Tien, J. K.; Mervyn, D. A.

    1980-01-01

    The creep and stress rupture behavior of a mechanically alloyed oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) and gamma-prime precipitation strengthened nickel-base alloy (alloy MA 6000E) was studied at intermediate and elevated temperatures. At 760 C, MA 6000E exhibits the high creep strength characteristic of nickel-base superalloys and at 1093 C the creep strength is superior to other ODS nickel-base alloys. The stress dependence of the creep rate is very sharp at both test temperatures and the apparent creep activation energy measured around 760 C is high, much larger in magnitude than the self-diffusion energy. Stress rupture in this large grain size material is transgranular and crystallographic cracking is observed. The rupture ductility is dependent on creep strain rate, but usually is low. These and accompanying microstructural results are discussed with respect to other ODS alloys and superalloys and the creep behavior is rationalized by invoking a recently-developed resisting stress model of creep in materials strengthened by second phase particles.

  10. Crack Damage Detection Method via Multiple Visual Features and Efficient Multi-Task Learning Model.

    PubMed

    Wang, Baoxian; Zhao, Weigang; Gao, Po; Zhang, Yufeng; Wang, Zhe

    2018-06-02

    This paper proposes an effective and efficient model for concrete crack detection. The presented work consists of two modules: multi-view image feature extraction and multi-task crack region detection. Specifically, multiple visual features (such as texture, edge, etc.) of image regions are calculated, which can suppress various background noises (such as illumination, pockmark, stripe, blurring, etc.). With the computed multiple visual features, a novel crack region detector is advocated using a multi-task learning framework, which involves restraining the variability for different crack region features and emphasizing the separability between crack region features and complex background ones. Furthermore, the extreme learning machine is utilized to construct this multi-task learning model, thereby leading to high computing efficiency and good generalization. Experimental results of the practical concrete images demonstrate that the developed algorithm can achieve favorable crack detection performance compared with traditional crack detectors.

  11. Fracture Analysis of Semi-Elliptical Surface Cracks in Ductile Materials

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Daniewicz, S. R.; Newman, J. C., Jr.; Leach, A. M.

    2004-01-01

    Accurate life assessment of structural components may require advanced life prediction criteria and methodologies. Structural components often exhibit several different types of defects, among the most prevalent being surface cracks. A semi-elliptical surface crack subjected to monotonic loading will exhibit stable crack growth until the crack has reached a critical size, at which the crack loses stability and fracture ensues (Newman, 2000). The shape and geometry of the flaw are among the most influential factors. When considering simpler crack configurations, such as a through-the-thickness crack, a three-dimensional (3D) geometry may be modeled under the approximation of two-dimensional (2D) plane stress or plane strain. The more complex surface crack is typically modeled numerically with the Finite Element Method (FEM). A semi-elliptical surface crack is illustrated in Figure 1-1.

  12. Probabilistic Mesomechanical Fatigue Model

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tryon, Robert G.

    1997-01-01

    A probabilistic mesomechanical fatigue life model is proposed to link the microstructural material heterogeneities to the statistical scatter in the macrostructural response. The macrostructure is modeled as an ensemble of microelements. Cracks nucleation within the microelements and grow from the microelements to final fracture. Variations of the microelement properties are defined using statistical parameters. A micromechanical slip band decohesion model is used to determine the crack nucleation life and size. A crack tip opening displacement model is used to determine the small crack growth life and size. Paris law is used to determine the long crack growth life. The models are combined in a Monte Carlo simulation to determine the statistical distribution of total fatigue life for the macrostructure. The modeled response is compared to trends in experimental observations from the literature.

  13. Concrete Cracking Prediction Including the Filling Proportion of Strand Corrosion Products.

    PubMed

    Wang, Lei; Dai, Lizhao; Zhang, Xuhui; Zhang, Jianren

    2016-12-23

    The filling of strand corrosion products during concrete crack propagation is investigated experimentally in the present paper. The effects of stirrups on the filling of corrosion products and concrete cracking are clarified. A prediction model of crack width is developed incorporating the filling proportion of corrosion products and the twisting shape of the strand. Experimental data on cracking angle, crack width, and corrosion loss obtained from accelerated corrosion tests of concrete beams are presented. The proposed model is verified by experimental data. Results show that the filling extent of corrosion products varies with crack propagation. The rust filling extent increases with the propagating crack until a critical width. Beyond the critical width, the rust-filling extent remains stable. Using stirrups can decrease the critical crack width. Stirrups can restrict crack propagation and reduce the rust filling. The tangent of the cracking angle increases with increasing corrosion loss. The prediction of corrosion-induced crack is sensitive to the rust-filling extent.

  14. Concrete Cracking Prediction Including the Filling Proportion of Strand Corrosion Products

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Lei; Dai, Lizhao; Zhang, Xuhui; Zhang, Jianren

    2016-01-01

    The filling of strand corrosion products during concrete crack propagation is investigated experimentally in the present paper. The effects of stirrups on the filling of corrosion products and concrete cracking are clarified. A prediction model of crack width is developed incorporating the filling proportion of corrosion products and the twisting shape of the strand. Experimental data on cracking angle, crack width, and corrosion loss obtained from accelerated corrosion tests of concrete beams are presented. The proposed model is verified by experimental data. Results show that the filling extent of corrosion products varies with crack propagation. The rust filling extent increases with the propagating crack until a critical width. Beyond the critical width, the rust-filling extent remains stable. Using stirrups can decrease the critical crack width. Stirrups can restrict crack propagation and reduce the rust filling. The tangent of the cracking angle increases with increasing corrosion loss. The prediction of corrosion-induced crack is sensitive to the rust-filling extent. PMID:28772367

  15. Evaluation of cracks with different hidden depths and shapes using surface magnetic field measurements based on semi-analytical modelling

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jiang, Feng; Liu, Shulin

    2018-03-01

    In this paper, we present a feasibility study for detecting cracks with different hidden depths and shapes using information contained in the magnetic field excited by a rectangular coil with a rectangular cross section. First, we solve for the eigenvalues and the unknown coefficients of the magnetic vector potential by imposing artificial and natural boundary conditions. Thus, a semi-analytical solution for the magnetic field distribution around the surface of a conducting plate that contains a long hidden crack is formulated. Next, based on the proposed modelling, the influences of the different hidden depth cracks on the surface magnetic field are analysed. The results show that the horizontal and vertical components of the magnetic field near the crack are becoming weaker and that the phase information of the magnetic field can be used to qualitatively determine the hidden depth of the crack. In addition, the model is optimised to improve its accuracy in classifying crack types. The relationship between signal features and crack shapes is subsequently established. The modified model is validated by using finite element simulations, visually indicating the change in the magnetic field near the crack.

  16. Multiaxial Fatigue Life Prediction Based on Short Crack Propagation Model with Equivalent Strain Parameter

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhao, Xiang-Feng; Shang, De-Guang; Sun, Yu-Juan; Song, Ming-Liang; Wang, Xiao-Wei

    2018-01-01

    The maximum shear strain and the normal strain excursion on the critical plane are regarded as the primary parameters of the crack driving force to establish a new short crack model in this paper. An equivalent strain-based intensity factor is proposed to correlate the short crack growth rate under multiaxial loading. According to the short crack model, a new method is proposed for multiaxial fatigue life prediction based on crack growth analysis. It is demonstrated that the method can be used under proportional and non-proportional loadings. The predicted results showed a good agreement with experimental lives in both high-cycle and low-cycle regions.

  17. Theoretical model of impact damage in structural ceramics

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Liaw, B. M.; Kobayashi, A. S.; Emery, A. G.

    1984-01-01

    This paper presents a mechanistically consistent model of impact damage based on elastic failures due to tensile and shear overloading. An elastic axisymmetric finite element model is used to determine the dynamic stresses generated by a single particle impact. Local failures in a finite element are assumed to occur when the primary/secondary principal stresses or the maximum shear stress reach critical tensile or shear stresses, respectively. The succession of failed elements thus models macrocrack growth. Sliding motions of cracks, which closed during unloading, are resisted by friction and the unrecovered deformation represents the 'plastic deformation' reported in the literature. The predicted ring cracks on the contact surface, as well as the cone cracks, median cracks, radial cracks, lateral cracks, and damage-induced porous zones in the interior of hot-pressed silicon nitride plates, matched those observed experimentally. The finite element model also predicted the uplifting of the free surface surrounding the impact site.

  18. Changes in geophysical properties caused by fluid injection into porous rocks: analytical models: Geophysical changes in porous rocks

    DOE PAGES

    Pride, Steven R.; Berryman, James G.; Commer, Michael; ...

    2016-08-30

    Analytical models are provided that describe how the elastic compliance, electrical conductivity, and fluid-flow permeability of rocks depend on stress and fluid pressure. In order to explain published laboratory data on how seismic velocities and electrical conductivity vary in sandstones and granites, the models require a population of cracks to be present in a possibly porous host phase. The central objective is to obtain a consistent mean-field analytical model that shows how each modeled rock property depends on the nature of the crack population. We describe the crack populations by a crack density, a probability distribution for the crack aperturesmore » and radii, and the averaged orientation of the cracks. The possibly anisotropic nature of the elasticity, conductivity, and permeability tensors is allowed for; however, only the isotropic limit is used when comparing to laboratory data. For the transport properties of conductivity and permeability, the percolation effect of the crack population linking up to form a connected path across a sample is modeled. But, this effect is important only in crystalline rock where the host phase has very small conductivity and permeability. In general, the importance of the crack population to the transport properties increases as the host phase becomes less conductive and less permeable.« less

  19. Fatigue crack growth theory and experiment: A comparative analysis

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Sananda, K.

    A number of theoretical models have been proposed in the literature which explain the second or the fourth power dependence of fatigue crack growth rate on ..delta..K, the stress intensity factor range in the Paris-Erdogan relation da/dN = C ..delta..K /SUP m/ . All of these models pertain to the intermediate range of crack growth rates where the m values are relatively low in the range of 2 to 4. The values of m for many metals and alloys can be much larger than 4 at near threshold crack growth rates or at stress intensities close to the fast fracture,more » and in some cases throughout the range of ..delta..K when the faceted mode of crack growth occurs. For such cases, the models appear to have no relevance. In this report predictions of different theoretical models are critically examined in comparison to experimentally determined crack growth rates in a MA 956, oxide dispersion strengthened alloy. Cumulative damage models predict crack growth rates reasonably well except in the range where ductile striations are observed. Lack of agreement with any particular model in this range is related to the fact that at different regions across the specimen thickness different mechanisms, either plastic blunting or cumulative damage, control the crack growth.« less

  20. Changes in geophysical properties caused by fluid injection into porous rocks: analytical models: Geophysical changes in porous rocks

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Pride, Steven R.; Berryman, James G.; Commer, Michael

    Analytical models are provided that describe how the elastic compliance, electrical conductivity, and fluid-flow permeability of rocks depend on stress and fluid pressure. In order to explain published laboratory data on how seismic velocities and electrical conductivity vary in sandstones and granites, the models require a population of cracks to be present in a possibly porous host phase. The central objective is to obtain a consistent mean-field analytical model that shows how each modeled rock property depends on the nature of the crack population. We describe the crack populations by a crack density, a probability distribution for the crack aperturesmore » and radii, and the averaged orientation of the cracks. The possibly anisotropic nature of the elasticity, conductivity, and permeability tensors is allowed for; however, only the isotropic limit is used when comparing to laboratory data. For the transport properties of conductivity and permeability, the percolation effect of the crack population linking up to form a connected path across a sample is modeled. But, this effect is important only in crystalline rock where the host phase has very small conductivity and permeability. In general, the importance of the crack population to the transport properties increases as the host phase becomes less conductive and less permeable.« less

  1. Two dimensional modeling of elastic wave propagation in solids containing cracks with rough surfaces and friction - Part II: Numerical implementation.

    PubMed

    Delrue, Steven; Aleshin, Vladislav; Truyaert, Kevin; Bou Matar, Olivier; Van Den Abeele, Koen

    2018-01-01

    Our study aims at the creation of a numerical toolbox that describes wave propagation in samples containing internal contacts (e.g. cracks, delaminations, debondings, imperfect intergranular joints) of known geometry with postulated contact interaction laws including friction. The code consists of two entities: the contact model and the solid mechanics module. Part I of the paper concerns an in-depth description of a constitutive model for realistic contacts or cracks that takes into account the roughness of the contact faces and the associated effects of friction and hysteresis. In the crack model, three different contact states can be recognized: contact loss, total sliding and partial slip. Normal (clapping) interactions between the crack faces are implemented using a quadratic stress-displacement relation, whereas tangential (friction) interactions were introduced using the Coulomb friction law for the total sliding case, and the Method of Memory Diagrams (MMD) in case of partial slip. In the present part of the paper, we integrate the developed crack model into finite element software in order to simulate elastic wave propagation in a solid material containing internal contacts or cracks. We therefore implemented the comprehensive crack model in MATLAB® and introduced it in the Structural Mechanics Module of COMSOL Multiphysics®. The potential of the approach for ultrasound based inspection of solids with cracks showing acoustic nonlinearity is demonstrated by means of an example of shear wave propagation in an aluminum sample containing a single crack with rough surfaces and friction. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. A nonlinear fracture mechanics approach to the growth of small cracks

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Newman, J. C., Jr.

    1983-01-01

    An analytical model of crack closure is used to study the crack growth and closure behavior of small cracks in plates and at notches. The calculated crack opening stresses for small and large cracks, together with elastic and elastic plastic fracture mechanics analyses, are used to correlate crack growth rate data. At equivalent elastic stress intensity factor levels, calculations predict that small cracks in plates and at notches should grow faster than large cracks because the applied stress needed to open a small crack is less than that needed to open a large crack. These predictions agree with observed trends in test data. The calculations from the model also imply that many of the stress intensity factor thresholds that are developed in tests with large cracks and with load reduction schemes do not apply to the growth of small cracks. The current calculations are based upon continuum mechanics principles and, thus, some crack size and grain structure exist where the underlying fracture mechanics assumptions become invalid because of material inhomogeneity (grains, inclusions, etc.). Admittedly, much more effort is needed to develop the mechanics of a noncontinuum. Nevertheless, these results indicate the importance of crack closure in predicting the growth of small cracks from large crack data.

  3. Cyclic plasticity models and application in fatigue analysis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kalev, I.

    1981-01-01

    An analytical procedure for prediction of the cyclic plasticity effects on both the structural fatigue life to crack initiation and the rate of crack growth is presented. The crack initiation criterion is based on the Coffin-Manson formulae extended for multiaxial stress state and for inclusion of the mean stress effect. This criterion is also applied for the accumulated damage ahead of the existing crack tip which is assumed to be related to the crack growth rate. Three cyclic plasticity models, based on the concept of combination of several yield surfaces, are employed for computing the crack growth rate of a crack plane stress panel under several cyclic loading conditions.

  4. Crack problems involving nonhomogeneous interfacial regions in bonded materials

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Erdogan, F.

    1990-01-01

    Consideration is given to two classes of fracture-related solid mechanics problems in which the model leads to some physically anomalous results. The first is the interface crack problem associated with the debonding process in which the corresponding elasticity solution predicts severe oscillations of stresses and the crack surface displacements vary near the crack tip. The second deals with crack intersecting the interface. The nature of the solutions around the crack tips arising from these problems is reviewed. The rationale for introducing a new interfacial zone model is discussed, its analytical consequences within the context of the two crack-problem classes are described, and some examples are presented.

  5. Evaluation of the C* Model for Addressing Short Fatigue Crack Growth

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2008-10-01

    FASTRAN/CGAP, the internal solution which evaluates the crack growth independently in the thickness and width direction was used . The analysis ...that used for the FASTRAN/CGAP analysis . The initial crack size used for all the models is 77 μm, as per [8]. From the viewpoint of engineering...Haddad Model, a0=0.05 mm El Haddad Model, a0=0.103 mm Figure 17: Comparison of crack growth analysis using modified El Haddad approach with

  6. Fatigue crack growth in fiber reinforced plastics

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mandell, J. F.

    1979-01-01

    Fatigue crack growth in fiber composites occurs by such complex modes as to frustrate efforts at developing comprehensive theories and models. Under certain loading conditions and with certain types of reinforcement, simpler modes of fatigue crack growth are observed. These modes are more amenable to modeling efforts, and the fatigue crack growth rate can be predicted in some cases. Thus, a formula for prediction of ligamented mode fatigue crack growth rate is available.

  7. Comparing the floquet stability of open and breathing fatigue cracks in an overhung rotordynamic system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Varney, Philip; Green, Itzhak

    2017-11-01

    Rotor cracks represent an uncommon but serious threat to rotating machines and must be detected early to avoid catastrophic machine failure. An important aspect of analyzing rotor cracks is understanding their influence on the rotor stability. It is well-known that the extent of rotor instability versus shaft speed is exacerbated by deeper cracks. Consequently, crack propagation can eventually result in an unstable response even if the shaft speed remains constant. Most previous investigations of crack-induced rotor instability concern simple Jeffcott rotors. This work advances the state-of-the-art by (a) providing a novel inertial-frame model of an overhung rotor, and (b) assessing the stability of the cracked overhung rotor using Floquet stability analysis. The rotor Floquet stability analysis is performed for both an open crack and a breathing crack, and conclusions are drawn regarding the importance of appropriately selecting the crack model. The rotor stability is analyzed versus crack depth, external viscous damping ratio, and rotor inertia. In general, this work concludes that the onset of instability occurs at lower shaft speeds for thick rotors, lower viscous damping ratios, and deeper cracks. In addition, when comparing commensurate cracks, the breathing crack is shown to induce more regions of instability than the open crack, though the open crack generally predicts an unstable response for shallower cracks than the breathing crack. Keywords: rotordynamics, stability, rotor cracks.

  8. Fatigue crack growth in unidirectional and cross-ply SCS-6/Timetal 21S titanium matrix composite

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Herrmann, D.J.

    1994-01-01

    Fatigue crack growth in unidirectional and cross-ply SCS-6/ Timetal(R) 21S titanium matrix composite was investigated. Fatigue crack growth tests were performed on (0){sub 4}, (90){sub 4}, and (0/90){sub s} center notch specimens. The (0){sub 4} and (0/90){sub s} fatigue crack growth rates decreased initially. Specimens removed prior to failure were polished to the first row of fibers and intact fibers in the wake of the matrix crack were observed. These bridging fibers reduced the stress intensity range that the matrix material was subjected to, thus reducing the crack growth rate. The crack growth rate eventually increased as fibers failed inmore » the crack wake but the fatigue crack growth rate was still much slower than that of unreinforced Timetal(R) 21S. A model was developed to study the mechanics of a cracked unidirectional composite with any combination of intact and broken fibers in the wake of a matrix crack. The model was correlated to fatigue crack growth rate tests. The model was verified by comparing predicted displacements near the crack surface with Elber gage (1.5 mm gage length extensometer) measurements. The fatigue crack growth rate for the (90){sub 4} specimens was faster than that of unreinforced Timetal(registered trademark) 21S. Elber gage displacement measurements were in agreement with linear elastic fracture mechanics predictions, suggesting that linear elastic fracture mechanics may be applicable to transversely loaded titanium matrix composites.« less

  9. 3D ductile crack propagation within a polycrystalline microstructure using XFEM

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Beese, Steffen; Loehnert, Stefan; Wriggers, Peter

    2018-02-01

    In this contribution we present a gradient enhanced damage based method to simulate discrete crack propagation in 3D polycrystalline microstructures. Discrete cracks are represented using the eXtended finite element method. The crack propagation criterion and the crack propagation direction for each point along the crack front line is based on the gradient enhanced damage variable. This approach requires the solution of a coupled problem for the balance of momentum and the additional global equation for the gradient enhanced damage field. To capture the discontinuity of the displacements as well as the gradient enhanced damage along the discrete crack, both fields are enriched using the XFEM in combination with level sets. Knowing the crack front velocity, level set methods are used to compute the updated crack geometry after each crack propagation step. The applied material model is a crystal plasticity model often used for polycrystalline microstructures of metals in combination with the gradient enhanced damage model. Due to the inelastic material behaviour after each discrete crack propagation step a projection of the internal variables from the old to the new crack configuration is required. Since for arbitrary crack geometries ill-conditioning of the equation system may occur due to (near) linear dependencies between standard and enriched degrees of freedom, an XFEM stabilisation technique based on a singular value decomposition of the element stiffness matrix is proposed. The performance of the presented methodology to capture crack propagation in polycrystalline microstructures is demonstrated with a number of numerical examples.

  10. Application of fiber bridging models to fatigue crack growth in unidirectional titanium matrix composites

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bakuckas, J. G., Jr.; Johnson, W. S.

    1992-01-01

    Several fiber bridging models were reviewed and applied to study the matrix fatigue crack growth behavior in center notched (0)(sub 8) SCS-6/Ti-15-3 and (0)(sub 4) SCS-6/Ti-6Al-4V laminates. Observations revealed that fatigue damage consisted primarily of matrix cracks and fiber matrix interfacial failure in the (0)(sub 8) SCS-6/Ti-15-3 laminates. Fiber-matrix interface failure included fracture of the brittle reaction zone and cracking between the two carbon rich fiber coatings. Intact fibers in the wake of the matrix cracks reduce the stress intensity factor range. Thus, an applied stress intensity factor range is inappropriate to characterize matrix crack growth behavior. Fiber bridging models were used to determine the matrix stress intensity factor range in titanium metal matrix composites. In these models, the fibers in the wake of the crack are idealized as a closure pressure. An unknown constant frictional shear stress is assumed to act along the debond or slip length of the bridging fibers. The frictional shear stress was used as a curve fitting parameter to available data (crack growth data, crack opening displacement data, and debond length data). Large variations in the frictional shear stress required to fit the experimental data indicate that the fiber bridging models in their present form lack predictive capabilities. However, these models provide an efficient and relatively simple engineering method for conducting parametric studies of the matrix growth behavior based on constituent properties.

  11. Effect of Chamber Pressurization Rate on Combustion and Propagation of Solid Propellant Cracks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yuan, Wei-Lan; Wei, Shen; Yuan, Shu-Shen

    2002-01-01

    area of the propellant grain satisfies the designed value. But cracks in propellant grain can be generated during manufacture, storage, handing and so on. The cracks can provide additional surface area for combustion. The additional combustion may significantly deviate the performance of the rocket motor from the designed conditions, even lead to explosive catastrophe. Therefore a thorough study on the combustion, propagation and fracture of solid propellant cracks must be conducted. This paper takes an isolated propellant crack as the object and studies the effect of chamber pressurization rate on the combustion, propagation and fracture of the crack by experiment and theoretical calculation. deformable, the burning inside a solid propellant crack is a coupling of solid mechanics and combustion dynamics. In this paper, a theoretical model describing the combustion, propagation and fracture of the crack was formulated and solved numerically. The interaction of structural deformation and combustion process was included in the theoretical model. The conservation equations for compressible fluid flow, the equation of state for perfect gas, the heat conducting equation for the solid-phase, constitutive equation for propellant, J-integral fracture criterion and so on are used in the model. The convective burning inside the crack and the propagation and fracture of the crack were numerically studied by solving the set of nonlinear, inhomogeneous gas-phase governing equations and solid-phase equations. On the other hand, the combustion experiments for propellant specimens with a precut crack were conducted by RTR system. Predicted results are in good agreement with experimental data, which validates the reasonableness of the theoretical model. Both theoretical and experimental results indicate that the chamber pressurization rate has strong effects on the convective burning in the crack, crack fracture initiation and fracture pattern.

  12. Analytical determination of critical crack size in solar cells

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chen, C. P.

    1988-01-01

    Although solar cells usually have chips and cracks, no material specifications concerning the allowable crack size on solar cells are available for quality assurance and engineering design usage. Any material specifications that the cell manufacturers use were developed for cosmetic reasons that have no technical basis. Therefore, the Applied Solar Energy Corporation (ASEC) has sponsored a continuing program for the fracture mechanics evaluation of GaAs. Fracture mechanics concepts were utilized to develop an analytical model that can predict the critical crack size of solar cells. This model indicates that the edge cracks of a solar cell are more critical than its surface cracks. In addition, the model suggests that the material specifications on the allowable crack size used for Si solar cells should not be applied to GaAs solar cells. The analytical model was applied to Si and GaAs solar cells, but it would also be applicable to the semiconductor wafers of other materials, such as a GaAs thin film on a Ge substrate, using appropriate input data.

  13. A comparison of coupled freshwater-saltwater sharp-interface and convective-dispersive models of saltwater intrusion in a layered aquifer system

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Hill, Mary C.

    1988-01-01

    Simulated results of the coupled freshwater-saltwater sharp interface and convective-dispersive numerical models are compared by using steady-state cross-sectional simulations. The results indicate that in some aquifers the calculated sharp interface is located further landward than would be expected.

  14. Magnetic-saturation zone model for two semipermeable cracks in magneto-electro-elastic medium

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jangid, Kamlesh

    2018-03-01

    Extension of the PS model (Gao et al. [1]) in piezoelectric materials and the SEMPS model (Fan and Zhao [2]) in MEE materials, is proposed for two semi-permeable cracks in a MEE medium. It is assumed that the magnetic yielding occurs at the continuation of the cracks due to the prescribed loads. We have model these crack continuations as the zones with cohesive saturation limit magnetic induction. Stroh's formalism and complex variable techniques are used to formulate the problem. Closed form analytical expressions are derived for various fracture parameters. A numerical case study is presented for BaTiO3 - CoFe2O4 ceramic cracked plate.

  15. A penny-shaped crack in a filament reinforced matrix. 1: The filament model

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Erdogan, F.; Pacella, A. H.

    1973-01-01

    The electrostatic problem of a penny-shaped crack in an elastic matrix which reinforced by filaments or fibers perpendicular to the plane of the crack was studied. The elastic filament model was developed for application to evaluation studies of the stress intensity factor along the periphery of the crack, the stresses in the filaments or fibers, and the interface shear between the matrix and the filaments or fibers. The requirements expected of the model are a sufficiently accurate representation of the filament and applicability to the interaction problems involving a cracked elastic continuum with multi-filament reinforcements. The technique for developing the model and numerical examples of it are shown.

  16. Assessment and prediction of drying shrinkage cracking in bonded mortar overlays

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Beushausen, Hans, E-mail: hans.beushausen@uct.ac.za; Chilwesa, Masuzyo

    2013-11-15

    Restrained drying shrinkage cracking was investigated on composite beams consisting of substrate concrete and bonded mortar overlays, and compared to the performance of the same mortars when subjected to the ring test. Stress development and cracking in the composite specimens were analytically modeled and predicted based on the measurement of relevant time-dependent material properties such as drying shrinkage, elastic modulus, tensile relaxation and tensile strength. Overlay cracking in the composite beams could be very well predicted with the analytical model. The ring test provided a useful qualitative comparison of the cracking performance of the mortars. The duration of curing wasmore » found to only have a minor influence on crack development. This was ascribed to the fact that prolonged curing has a beneficial effect on tensile strength at the onset of stress development, but is in the same time not beneficial to the values of tensile relaxation and elastic modulus. -- Highlights: •Parameter study on material characteristics influencing overlay cracking. •Analytical model gives good quantitative indication of overlay cracking. •Ring test presents good qualitative indication of overlay cracking. •Curing duration has little effect on overlay cracking.« less

  17. Variational Implicit Solvation with Solute Molecular Mechanics: From Diffuse-Interface to Sharp-Interface Models.

    PubMed

    Li, Bo; Zhao, Yanxiang

    2013-01-01

    Central in a variational implicit-solvent description of biomolecular solvation is an effective free-energy functional of the solute atomic positions and the solute-solvent interface (i.e., the dielectric boundary). The free-energy functional couples together the solute molecular mechanical interaction energy, the solute-solvent interfacial energy, the solute-solvent van der Waals interaction energy, and the electrostatic energy. In recent years, the sharp-interface version of the variational implicit-solvent model has been developed and used for numerical computations of molecular solvation. In this work, we propose a diffuse-interface version of the variational implicit-solvent model with solute molecular mechanics. We also analyze both the sharp-interface and diffuse-interface models. We prove the existence of free-energy minimizers and obtain their bounds. We also prove the convergence of the diffuse-interface model to the sharp-interface model in the sense of Γ-convergence. We further discuss properties of sharp-interface free-energy minimizers, the boundary conditions and the coupling of the Poisson-Boltzmann equation in the diffuse-interface model, and the convergence of forces from diffuse-interface to sharp-interface descriptions. Our analysis relies on the previous works on the problem of minimizing surface areas and on our observations on the coupling between solute molecular mechanical interactions with the continuum solvent. Our studies justify rigorously the self consistency of the proposed diffuse-interface variational models of implicit solvation.

  18. Creep and Creep-Fatigue Crack Growth at Structural Discontinuities and Welds

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Dr. F. W. Brust; Dr. G. M. Wilkowski; Dr. P. Krishnaswamy

    2010-01-27

    The subsection ASME NH high temperature design procedure does not admit crack-like defects into the structural components. The US NRC identified the lack of treatment of crack growth within NH as a limitation of the code and thus this effort was undertaken. This effort is broken into two parts. Part 1, summarized here, involved examining all high temperature creep-fatigue crack growth codes being used today and from these, the task objective was to choose a methodology that is appropriate for possible implementation within NH. The second part of this task, which has just started, is to develop design rules formore » possible implementation within NH. This second part is a challenge since all codes require step-by-step analysis procedures to be undertaken in order to assess the crack growth and life of the component. Simple rules for design do not exist in any code at present. The codes examined in this effort included R5, RCC-MR (A16), BS 7910, API 579, and ATK (and some lesser known codes). There are several reasons that the capability for assessing cracks in high temperature nuclear components is desirable. These include: (1) Some components that are part of GEN IV reactors may have geometries that have sharp corners - which are essentially cracks. Design of these components within the traditional ASME NH procedure is quite challenging. It is natural to ensure adequate life design by modeling these features as cracks within a creep-fatigue crack growth procedure. (2) Workmanship flaws in welds sometimes occur and are accepted in some ASME code sections. It can be convenient to consider these as flaws when making a design life assessment. (3) Non-destructive Evaluation (NDE) and inspection methods after fabrication are limited in the size of the crack or flaw that can be detected. It is often convenient to perform a life assessment using a flaw of a size that represents the maximum size that can elude detection. (4) Flaws that are observed using in-service detection methods often need to be addressed as plants age. Shutdown inspection intervals can only be designed using creep and creep-fatigue crack growth techniques. (5) The use of crack growth procedures can aid in examining the seriousness of creep damage in structural components. How cracks grow can be used to assess margins on components and lead to further safe operation. After examining the pros and cons of all these methods, the R5 code was chosen as the most up-to-date and validated high temperature creep and creep fatigue code currently used in the world at present. R5 is considered the leader because the code: (1) has well established and validated rules, (2) has a team of experts continually improving and updating it, (3) has software that can be used by designers, (4) extensive validation in many parts with available data from BE resources as well as input from Imperial college's database, and (5) was specifically developed for use in nuclear plants. R5 was specifically developed for use in gas cooled nuclear reactors which operate in the UK and much of the experience is based on materials and temperatures which are experienced in these reactors. If the next generation advanced reactors to be built in the US used these same materials within the same temperature ranges as these reactors, then R5 may be appropriate for consideration of direct implementation within ASME code NH or Section XI. However, until more verification and validation of these creep/fatigue crack growth rules for the specific materials and temperatures to be used in the GEN IV reactors is complete, ASME should consider delaying this implementation. With this in mind, it is this authors opinion that R5 methods are the best available for code use today. The focus of this work was to examine the literature for creep and creep-fatigue crack growth procedures that are well established in codes in other countries and choose a procedure to consider implementation into ASME NH. It is very important to recognize that all creep and creep fatigue crack growth procedures that are part of high temperature design codes are related and very similar. This effort made no attempt to develop a new creep-fatigue crack growth predictive methodology. Rather examination of current procedures was the only goal. The uncertainties in the R5 crack growth methods and recommendations for more work are summarized here also.« less

  19. A Sharp methodology for VLSI layout

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bapat, Shekhar

    1993-01-01

    The layout problem for VLSI circuits is recognized as a very difficult problem and has been traditionally decomposed into the several seemingly independent sub-problems of placement, global routing, and detailed routing. Although this structure achieves a reduction in programming complexity, it is also typically accompanied by a reduction in solution quality. Most current placement research recognizes that the separation is artificial, and that the placement and routing problems should be solved ideally in tandem. We propose a new interconnection model, Sharp and an associated partitioning algorithm. The Sharp interconnection model uses a partitioning shape that roughly resembles the musical sharp 'number sign' and makes extensive use of pre-computed rectilinear Steiner trees. The model is designed to generate strategic routing information along with the partitioning results. Additionally, the Sharp model also generates estimates of the routing congestion. We also propose the Sharp layout heuristic that solves the layout problem in its entirety. The Sharp layout heuristic makes extensive use of the Sharp partitioning model. The use of precomputed Steiner tree forms enables the method to model accurately net characteristics. For example, the Steiner tree forms can model both the length of the net and more importantly its route. In fact, the tree forms are also appropriate for modeling the timing delays of nets. The Sharp heuristic works to minimize both the total layout area by minimizing total net length (thus reducing the total wiring area), and the congestion imbalances in the various channels (thus reducing the unused or wasted channel area). Our heuristic uses circuit element movements amongst the different partitioning blocks and selection of alternate minimal Steiner tree forms to achieve this goal. The objective function for the algorithm can be modified readily to include other important circuit constraints like propagation delays. The layout technique first computes a very high-level approximation of the layout solution (i.e., the positions of the circuit elements and the associated net routes). The approximate solution is alternately refined, objective function. The technique creates well defined sub-problems and offers intermediary steps that can be solved in parallel, as well as a parallel mechanism to merge the sub-problem solutions.

  20. Decrepitation and crack healing of fluid inclusions in San Carlos olivine

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Wanamaker, B.J.; Wong, Tengfong; Evans, B.

    1990-09-10

    Fluid inclusions break, or decrepitate, when the fluid pressure exceeds the least principal lithostatic stress by a critical amount. After decrepitation, excess fluid pressure is relaxed, resulting in crack arrest; subsequently, crack healing may occur. The authors developed a linear elastic fracture mechanics model to analyze new data on decrepitation and crack arrest in San Carlos Olivine, compared the model with previous fluid inclusion investigations, and used it to interpret some natural decrepitation microstructures. The common experimental observation that smaller inclusions may sustain higher internal fluid pressures without decrepitating may be rationalized by assuming that flaws associated with the inclusionmore » scale with the inclusion size. According to the model, the length of the crack formed by decrepitation depends on the lithostatic pressure at the initiation of cracking, the initial sizes of the flaw and the inclusion, and the critical stress intensity factor. Further experiments show that microcracks in San Carlos olivine heal within several days at 1,280 to 1,400{degree}C; healing rates depend on the crack geometry, temperature, and chemistry of the buffering gas. The regression distance of the crack tip during healing can be related to time through a power law with exponent n = 0.6. Chemical changes which become apparent after extremely long heat-treatments significantly affect the healing rates. Many of the inclusions in the San Carlos xenoliths stretched, decrepitated, and finally healed during uplift. The crack arrest model indicates that completely healed cracks had an initial fluid pressure of the order of 1 GPa. Using the crack arrest model and the healing kinetics, they estimate the ascent rate of these xenoliths to be between 0.001 and 0.1 m/s.« less

  1. Buckling and postbuckling of size-dependent cracked microbeams based on a modified couple stress theory

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Akbarzadeh Khorshidi, M.; Shariati, M.

    2017-07-01

    The elastic buckling analysis and the static postbuckling response of the Euler-Bernoulli microbeams containing an open edge crack are studied based on a modified couple stress theory. The cracked section is modeled by a massless elastic rotational spring. This model contains a material length scale parameter and can capture the size effect. The von Kármán nonlinearity is applied to display the postbuckling behavior. Analytical solutions of a critical buckling load and the postbuckling response are presented for simply supported cracked microbeams. This parametric study indicates the effects of the crack location, crack severity, and length scale parameter on the buckling and postbuckling behaviors of cracked microbeams.

  2. Numerical simulations of microcrack-related damage and ignition behavior of mild-impacted polymer bonded explosives.

    PubMed

    Yang, Kun; Wu, Yanqing; Huang, Fenglei

    2018-08-15

    A physical model is developed to describe the viscoelastic-plastic deformation, cracking damage, and ignition behavior of polymer-bonded explosives (PBXs) under mild impact. This model improves on the viscoelastic-statistical crack mechanical model (Visco-SCRAM) in several respects. (i) The proposed model introduces rate-dependent plasticity into the framework which is more suitable for explosives with relatively high binder content. (ii) Damage evolution is calculated by the generalized Griffith instability criterion with the dominant (most unstable) crack size rather than the averaged crack size over all crack orientations. (iii) The fast burning of cracks following ignition and the effects of gaseous products on crack opening are considered. The predicted uniaxial and triaxial stress-strain responses of PBX9501 sample under dynamic compression loading are presented to illustrate the main features of the materials. For an uncovered cylindrical PBX charge impacted by a flat-nosed rod, the simulated results show that a triangular-shaped dead zone is formed beneath the front of the rod. The cracks in the dead zone are stable due to friction-locked stress state, whereas the cracks near the front edges of dead zone become unstable and turn into hotspots due to high-shear effects. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. High strength W/TiNi micro-laminated composite with transformation-mediated ductility

    DOE PAGES

    Shao, Yang; Yu, Kaiyuan; Jiang, Daqiang; ...

    2016-06-06

    A laminated W/TiNi composite is fabricated by hot pressing under vacuum and subsequent forging. The W and TiNi constituents are about 250 μm and 80 μm respectively in thicknesses and their interfaces are chemically sharp with negligible intermixing. The material exhibits two yielding plateaus and excellent strength-ductility combination during compression tests. In situ X-ray technique is employed to demonstrate that the unusual yielding phenomenon is related to the reversible thermoelastic phase transformation of TiNi layers. Furthermore, such mechanisms also contribute to the damage tolerance of the materials by inhibiting crack propagation in W.

  4. Analytical insight into "breathing" crack-induced acoustic nonlinearity with an application to quantitative evaluation of contact cracks.

    PubMed

    Wang, Kai; Liu, Menglong; Su, Zhongqing; Yuan, Shenfang; Fan, Zheng

    2018-08-01

    To characterize fatigue cracks, in the undersized stage in particular, preferably in a quantitative and precise manner, a two-dimensional (2D) analytical model is developed for interpreting the modulation mechanism of a "breathing" crack on guided ultrasonic waves (GUWs). In conjunction with a modal decomposition method and a variational principle-based algorithm, the model is capable of analytically depicting the propagating and evanescent waves induced owing to the interaction of probing GUWs with a "breathing" crack, and further extracting linear and nonlinear wave features (e.g., reflection, transmission, mode conversion and contact acoustic nonlinearity (CAN)). With the model, a quantitative correlation between CAN embodied in acquired GUWs and crack parameters (e.g., location and severity) is obtained, whereby a set of damage indices is proposed via which the severity of the crack can be evaluated quantitatively. The evaluation, in principle, does not entail a benchmarking process against baseline signals. As validation, the results obtained from the analytical model are compared with those from finite element simulation, showing good consistency. This has demonstrated accuracy of the developed analytical model in interpreting contact crack-induced CAN, and spotlighted its application to quantitative evaluation of fatigue damage. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Evaluation of strength and failure of brittle rock containing initial cracks under lithospheric conditions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Xiaozhao; Qi, Chengzhi; Shao, Zhushan; Ma, Chao

    2018-02-01

    Natural brittle rock contains numerous randomly distributed microcracks. Crack initiation, growth, and coalescence play a predominant role in evaluation for the strength and failure of brittle rocks. A new analytical method is proposed to predict the strength and failure of brittle rocks containing initial microcracks. The formulation of this method is based on an improved wing crack model and a suggested micro-macro relation. In this improved wing crack model, the parameter of crack angle is especially introduced as a variable, and the analytical stress-crack relation considering crack angle effect is obtained. Coupling the proposed stress-crack relation and the suggested micro-macro relation describing the relation between crack growth and axial strain, the stress-strain constitutive relation is obtained to predict the rock strength and failure. Considering different initial microcrack sizes, friction coefficients and confining pressures, effects of crack angle on tensile wedge force acting on initial crack interface are studied, and effects of crack angle on stress-strain constitutive relation of rocks are also analyzed. The strength and crack initiation stress under different crack angles are discussed, and the value of most disadvantaged angle triggering crack initiation and rock failure is founded. The analytical results are similar to the published study results. Rationality of this proposed analytical method is verified.

  6. Coke formation in the thermal cracking of hydrocarbons. 4: Modeling of coke formation in naphtha cracking

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Reyniers, G.C.; Froment, G.F.; Kopinke, F.D.

    1994-11-01

    An extensive experimental program has been carried out in a pilot unit for the thermal cracking of hydrocarbons. On the basis of the experimental information and the insight in the mechanisms for coke formation in pyrolysis reactors, a mathematical model describing the coke formation has been derived. This model has been incorporated in the existing simulation tools at the Laboratorium voor Petrochemische Techniek, and the run length of an industrial naphtha cracking furnace has been accurately simulated. In this way the coking model has been validated.

  7. Floating Node Method and Virtual Crack Closure Technique for Modeling Matrix Cracking-Delamination Interaction

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    DeCarvalho, N. V.; Chen, B. Y.; Pinho, S. T.; Baiz, P. M.; Ratcliffe, J. G.; Tay, T. E.

    2013-01-01

    A novel approach is proposed for high-fidelity modeling of progressive damage and failure in composite materials that combines the Floating Node Method (FNM) and the Virtual Crack Closure Technique (VCCT) to represent multiple interacting failure mechanisms in a mesh-independent fashion. In this study, the approach is applied to the modeling of delamination migration in cross-ply tape laminates. Delamination, matrix cracking, and migration are all modeled using fracture mechanics based failure and migration criteria. The methodology proposed shows very good qualitative and quantitative agreement with experiments.

  8. Floating Node Method and Virtual Crack Closure Technique for Modeling Matrix Cracking-Delamination Migration

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    DeCarvalho, Nelson V.; Chen, B. Y.; Pinho, Silvestre T.; Baiz, P. M.; Ratcliffe, James G.; Tay, T. E.

    2013-01-01

    A novel approach is proposed for high-fidelity modeling of progressive damage and failure in composite materials that combines the Floating Node Method (FNM) and the Virtual Crack Closure Technique (VCCT) to represent multiple interacting failure mechanisms in a mesh-independent fashion. In this study, the approach is applied to the modeling of delamination migration in cross-ply tape laminates. Delamination, matrix cracking, and migration are all modeled using fracture mechanics based failure and migration criteria. The methodology proposed shows very good qualitative and quantitative agreement with experiments.

  9. Modeling crack propagation in polycrystalline microstructure using variational multiscale method

    DOE PAGES

    Sun, Shang; Sundararaghavan, Veera

    2016-01-01

    Crack propagation in a polycrystalline microstructure is analyzed using a novel multiscale model. The model includes an explicit microstructural representation at critical regions (stress concentrators such as notches and cracks) and a reduced order model that statistically captures the microstructure at regions far away from stress concentrations. Crack propagation is modeled in these critical regions using the variational multiscale method. In this approach, a discontinuous displacement field is added to elements that exceed the critical values of normal or tangential tractions during loading. Compared to traditional cohesive zone modeling approaches, the method does not require the use of any specialmore » interface elements in the microstructure and thus can model arbitrary crack paths. As a result, the capability of the method in predicting both intergranular and transgranular failure modes in an elastoplastic polycrystal is demonstrated under tensile and three-point bending loads.« less

  10. Possible Signs of Ancient Drying in Martian Rock

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-01-17

    A grid of small polygons on the Martian rock surface near the right edge of this view may have originated as cracks in drying mud more than 3 billion years ago. Multiple images from the Mast Camera (Mastcam) on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover were combined for this mosaic of a block called "Squid Cove" and its immediate surroundings. The location is within an exposure of Murray formation mudstone on lower Mount Sharp inside Gale Crater. Mastcam's right-eye camera, which has a telephoto lens, took the component images of this view on Dec. 20, 2016, during the 1,555th Martian day, or sol, of Curiosity's work on Mars. The rover drove farther uphill on Gale Crater before the possible mud cracks were detected in the Mastcam images. This possible evidence about the area's ancient environment prompted the rover mission to backtrack for closer inspection of Squid Cove and nearby target rocks. This scene is presented with a color adjustment that approximates white balancing, to resemble how the rocks and sand would appear under daytime lighting conditions on Earth. The polygons are about half an inch to 1 inch (about 1 to 2 centimeters) across. Figure 1 includes a scale bar of 30 centimeters (12 inches). The polygons are outlined by ridges. This could result from a three-step process after cracks form due to drying: Wind-blown sediments accumulate in the open cracks. Later, these sediments and the dried mud become rock under the pressure of multiple younger layers that accumulate on top of them. Most recently, after the overlying layers were eroded away by wind, the vein-filling material resists erosion better than the once-muddy material, so the pattern that began as cracks appears as ridges. Mud cracks would be evidence of a drying interval between wetter periods that supported lakes in the area. Curiosity has found evidence of ancient lakes in older, lower-lying rock layers and also in younger mudstone that is above Squid Cove. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21263

  11. Influence of Shear Stiffness Degradation on Crack Paths in Uni-Directional Composite Laminates

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Satyanarayana, Arunkumar; Bogert, Phil B.

    2017-01-01

    Influence of shear stiffness degradation in an element, due to damage, on crack paths in uni-directional laminates has been demonstrated. A new shear stiffness degradation approach to improve crack path prediction has been developed and implemented in an ABAQUS/Explicit frame work using VUMAT. Three progressive failure analysis models, built-in ABAQUS (TradeMark), original COmplete STress Reduction (COSTR) and the modified COSTR damage models have been utilized in this study to simulate crack paths in five unidirectional notched laminates, 15deg, 30deg, 45deg, 60deg and 75deg under uniaxial tension load. Results such as crack paths and load vs. edge displacement curves are documented in this report. Modified COSTR damage model shows better accuracy in predicting crack paths in all the uni-directional laminates compared to the ABAQUS (TradeMark) and the original COSTR damage models.

  12. Micromechanical predictions of crack propagation and fracture energy in a single fiber boron/aluminum model composite

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Adams, D. F.; Mahishi, J. M.

    1982-01-01

    The axisymmetric finite element model and associated computer program developed for the analysis of crack propagation in a composite consisting of a single broken fiber in an annular sheath of matrix material was extended to include a constant displacement boundary condition during an increment of crack propagation. The constant displacement condition permits the growth of a stable crack, as opposed to the catastropic failure in an earlier version. The finite element model was refined to respond more accurately to the high stresses and steep stress gradients near the broken fiber end. The accuracy and effectiveness of the conventional constant strain axisymmetric element for crack problems was established by solving the classical problem of a penny-shaped crack in a thick cylindrical rod under axial tension. The stress intensity factors predicted by the present finite element model are compared with existing continuum results.

  13. Analytical and experimental investigation of fatigue in lap joints

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Swenson, Daniel V.; Chih-Chien, Chia; Derber, Thomas G.

    A finite element model is presented that can simulate crack growth in layered structures such as lap joints. The layers can be joined either by rivets or adhesives. The crack is represented discretely in the mesh, and automatic remeshing is performed as the crack grows. Because of the connections between the layers, load is transferred to the uncracked layer as the crack grows. This reduces the stress intensity and slows the crack growth rate. The model is used to analyze tests performed on a section of a wing spanwise lap joint. The crack was initiated at a rivet and grown under constant amplitude cyclic loads. Both experimentally observed crack growth rates and the analysis show the retardation that occurs as a result of load transfer between layers. A good correlation is obtained between predicted and observed crack growth rates for the fullly developed through-thickness crack.

  14. Fatigue life and crack growth prediction methodology

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Newman, J. C., Jr.; Phillips, E. P.; Everett, R. A., Jr.

    1993-01-01

    The capabilities of a plasticity-induced crack-closure model and life-prediction code to predict fatigue crack growth and fatigue lives of metallic materials are reviewed. Crack-tip constraint factors, to account for three-dimensional effects, were selected to correlate large-crack growth rate data as a function of the effective-stress-intensity factor range (delta(K(sub eff))) under constant-amplitude loading. Some modifications to the delta(K(sub eff))-rate relations were needed in the near threshold regime to fit small-crack growth rate behavior and endurance limits. The model was then used to calculate small- and large-crack growth rates, and in some cases total fatigue lives, for several aluminum and titanium alloys under constant-amplitude, variable-amplitude, and spectrum loading. Fatigue lives were calculated using the crack growth relations and microstructural features like those that initiated cracks. Results from the tests and analyses agreed well.

  15. Corrosion-Fatigue Crack Growth in Plates: A Model Based on the Paris Law

    PubMed Central

    Toribio, Jesús; Matos, Juan-Carlos; González, Beatriz

    2017-01-01

    In this paper, a Paris law-based model is presented whereby crack propagation occurs under cyclic loading in air (fatigue) and in an aggressive environment (corrosion-fatigue) for the case of corner cracks (with a wide range of aspect ratios in the matter of the initial cracks) in finite-thickness plates of 316L austenitic stainless steel subjected to tension, bending, or combined (tension + bending) loading. Results show that the cracks tend during their growth towards a preferential propagation path, exhibiting aspect ratios slightly lower than unity only for the case of very shallow cracks, and diminishing as the crack grows (increasing the relative crack depth)—more intensely in the case of bending than in the case of tension (the mixed loading tension/bending representing an intermediate case). In addition, the crack aspect ratios during fatigue propagation evolution are lower in fatigue (in air) than in corrosion-fatigue (in aggressive environment). PMID:28772798

  16. Crack Modelling for Radiography

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chady, T.; Napierała, L.

    2010-02-01

    In this paper, possibility of creation of three-dimensional crack models, both random type and based on real-life radiographic images is discussed. Method for storing cracks in a number of two-dimensional matrices, as well algorithm for their reconstruction into three-dimensional objects is presented. Also the possibility of using iterative algorithm for matching simulated images of cracks to real-life radiographic images is discussed.

  17. Small Crack Growth and Fatigue Life Predictions for High-Strength Aluminium Alloys. Part 1; Experimental and Fracture Mechanics Analysis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wu, X. R.; Newman, J. C.; Zhao, W.; Swain, M. H.; Ding, C. F.; Phillips, E. P.

    1998-01-01

    The small crack effect was investigated in two high-strength aluminium alloys: 7075-T6 bare and LC9cs clad alloy. Both experimental and analytical investigations were conducted to study crack initiation and growth of small cracks. In the experimental program, fatigue tests, small crack and large crack tests A,ere conducted under constant amplitude and Mini-TWIST spectrum loading conditions. A pronounced small crack effect was observed in both materials, especially for the negative stress ratios. For all loading conditions, most of the fatigue life of the SENT specimens was shown to be crack propagation from initial material defects or from the cladding layer. In the analysis program, three-dimensional finite element and A weight function methods were used to determine stress intensity factors and to develop SIF equations for surface and corner cracks at the notch in the SENT specimens. A plastisity-induced crack-closure model was used to correlate small and large crack data, and to make fatigue life predictions, Predicted crack-growth rates and fatigue lives agreed well with experiments. A total fatigue life prediction method for the aluminum alloys was developed and demonstrated using the crack-closure model.

  18. Photomultiplier tube failure under hydrostatic pressure in future neutrino detectors

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Chambliss, K.; Diwan, M.; Simos, N.

    Failure of photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) under hydrostatic pressure is a concern in neutrino detection, specifically, in the proposed Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment project. Controlled hydrostatic implosion tests were performed on prototypic PMT bulbs of 10-inch diameter and recorded using high speed filming techniques to capture failures in detail. These high-speed videos were analyzed frame-by-frame in order to identify the origin of a crack, measure the progression of individual crack along the surface of the bulb as it propagates through the glass, and estimate crack velocity. Crack velocity was calculated for each individual crack, and an average velocity was determined for allmore » measurable cracks on each bulb. Overall, 32 cracks were measured in 9 different bulbs tested. Finite element modeling (FEM) of crack formation and growth in prototypic PMT shows stress concentration near the middle section of the PMT bulbs that correlates well with our crack velocity measurements in that section. The FEM model predicts a crack velocity value that is close to the terminal crack velocity reported. Our measurements also reveal significantly reduced crack velocities compared to terminal crack velocities measured in glasses using fracture mechanics testing and reported in literature.« less

  19. Photomultiplier tube failure under hydrostatic pressure in future neutrino detectors

    DOE PAGES

    Chambliss, K.; Diwan, M.; Simos, N.; ...

    2014-10-09

    Failure of photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) under hydrostatic pressure is a concern in neutrino detection, specifically, in the proposed Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment project. Controlled hydrostatic implosion tests were performed on prototypic PMT bulbs of 10-inch diameter and recorded using high speed filming techniques to capture failures in detail. These high-speed videos were analyzed frame-by-frame in order to identify the origin of a crack, measure the progression of individual crack along the surface of the bulb as it propagates through the glass, and estimate crack velocity. Crack velocity was calculated for each individual crack, and an average velocity was determined for allmore » measurable cracks on each bulb. Overall, 32 cracks were measured in 9 different bulbs tested. Finite element modeling (FEM) of crack formation and growth in prototypic PMT shows stress concentration near the middle section of the PMT bulbs that correlates well with our crack velocity measurements in that section. The FEM model predicts a crack velocity value that is close to the terminal crack velocity reported. Our measurements also reveal significantly reduced crack velocities compared to terminal crack velocities measured in glasses using fracture mechanics testing and reported in literature.« less

  20. Effects of microscale inertia on dynamic ductile crack growth

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jacques, N.; Mercier, S.; Molinari, A.

    2012-04-01

    The aim of this paper is to investigate the role of microscale inertia in dynamic ductile crack growth. A constitutive model for porous solids that accounts for dynamic effects due to void growth is proposed. The model has been implemented in a finite element code and simulations of crack growth in a notched bar and in an edge cracked specimen have been performed. Results are compared to predictions obtained via the Gurson-Tvergaard-Needleman (GTN) model where micro-inertia effects are not accounted for. It is found that microscale inertia has a significant influence on the crack growth. In particular, it is shown that micro-inertia plays an important role during the strain localisation process by impeding void growth. Therefore, the resulting damage accumulation occurs in a more progressive manner. For this reason, simulations based on the proposed modelling exhibit much less mesh sensitivity than those based on the viscoplastic GTN model. Microscale inertia is also found to lead to lower crack speeds. Effects of micro-inertia on fracture toughness are evaluated.

  1. Ratcheting Strain and Microstructure Evolution of AZ31B Magnesium Alloy under a Tensile-Tensile Cyclic Loading

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Denghui; Wang, Wenxian; Zhou, Jun; He, Xiuli; Dong, Peng; Zhang, Hongxia; Sun, Liyong

    2018-01-01

    In this paper, studies were conducted to investigate the deformation behavior and microstructure change in a hot-rolled AZ31B magnesium alloy during a tensile-tensile cyclic loading. The relationship between ratcheting effect and microstructure change was discussed. The ratcheting effect in the material during current tensile-tensile fatigue loading exceeds the material’s fatigue limit and the development of ratcheting strain in the material experienced three stages: initial sharp increase stage (Stage I); steady stage (Stage II); and final abrupt increase stage (Stage III). Microstructure changes in Stage I and Stage II are mainly caused by activation of basal slip system. The Extra Geometrically Necessary Dislocations (GNDs) were also calculated to discuss the relationship between the dislocation caused by the basal slip system and the ratcheting strain during the cyclic loading. In Stage III, both the basal slip and the {11−20} twins are found active during the crack propagation. The fatigue crack initiation in the AZ31B magnesium alloy is found due to the basal slip and the {11−20} tensile twins. PMID:29597278

  2. Dynamic strain-aging effect on fracture toughness of vessel steels

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kang, S.S.; Kim, I.S.

    1992-03-01

    In this paper the effect of dynamic strain aging (DSA) on fracture is investigated on the quenched and tempered specimens of American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) standard SA508 class 3 nuclear pressure vessel steel. Serrated flow by DSA is observed between 180 and 340{degrees}C at a tensile strain rate of 2.08 {times} 10{sup {minus}4}/s and 1.25 {times} 10{sup {minus}3}/s. The DSA causes a sharp rise in the ultimate tensile strength and a marked decrease in ductility. The DSA range shifts to higher temperatures with increased strain rates. The temperature and strain rate dependence of the onset of serrations yieldsmore » an activation energy of 16.2 kcal/mol, which suggests that the process is controlled by interstitial diffusion of carbon and nitrogen in ferrite. The J{sub i} value obtained from the direct current potential drop (DCPD) method, for true crack initiation, is lowered by DSA. The drop in J{sub i} at elevated temperatures may be because of the interaction of the interstitial impurities with dislocations at the crack front.« less

  3. Ratcheting Strain and Microstructure Evolution of AZ31B Magnesium Alloy under a Tensile-Tensile Cyclic Loading.

    PubMed

    Yan, Zhifeng; Wang, Denghui; Wang, Wenxian; Zhou, Jun; He, Xiuli; Dong, Peng; Zhang, Hongxia; Sun, Liyong

    2018-03-28

    In this paper, studies were conducted to investigate the deformation behavior and microstructure change in a hot-rolled AZ31B magnesium alloy during a tensile-tensile cyclic loading. The relationship between ratcheting effect and microstructure change was discussed. The ratcheting effect in the material during current tensile-tensile fatigue loading exceeds the material's fatigue limit and the development of ratcheting strain in the material experienced three stages: initial sharp increase stage (Stage I); steady stage (Stage II); and final abrupt increase stage (Stage III). Microstructure changes in Stage I and Stage II are mainly caused by activation of basal slip system. The Extra Geometrically Necessary Dislocations (GNDs) were also calculated to discuss the relationship between the dislocation caused by the basal slip system and the ratcheting strain during the cyclic loading. In Stage III, both the basal slip and the {11-20} twins are found active during the crack propagation. The fatigue crack initiation in the AZ31B magnesium alloy is found due to the basal slip and the {11-20} tensile twins.

  4. Fault feature analysis of cracked gear based on LOD and analytical-FE method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wu, Jiateng; Yang, Yu; Yang, Xingkai; Cheng, Junsheng

    2018-01-01

    At present, there are two main ideas for gear fault diagnosis. One is the model-based gear dynamic analysis; the other is signal-based gear vibration diagnosis. In this paper, a method for fault feature analysis of gear crack is presented, which combines the advantages of dynamic modeling and signal processing. Firstly, a new time-frequency analysis method called local oscillatory-characteristic decomposition (LOD) is proposed, which has the attractive feature of extracting fault characteristic efficiently and accurately. Secondly, an analytical-finite element (analytical-FE) method which is called assist-stress intensity factor (assist-SIF) gear contact model, is put forward to calculate the time-varying mesh stiffness (TVMS) under different crack states. Based on the dynamic model of the gear system with 6 degrees of freedom, the dynamic simulation response was obtained for different tooth crack depths. For the dynamic model, the corresponding relation between the characteristic parameters and the degree of the tooth crack is established under a specific condition. On the basis of the methods mentioned above, a novel gear tooth root crack diagnosis method which combines the LOD with the analytical-FE is proposed. Furthermore, empirical mode decomposition (EMD) and ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) are contrasted with the LOD by gear crack fault vibration signals. The analysis results indicate that the proposed method performs effectively and feasibility for the tooth crack stiffness calculation and the gear tooth crack fault diagnosis.

  5. Model based Inverse Methods for Sizing Cracks of Varying Shape and Location in Bolt hole Eddy Current (BHEC) Inspections (Postprint)

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2016-02-10

    using bolt hole eddy current (BHEC) techniques. Data was acquired for a wide range of crack sizes and shapes, including mid- bore , corner and through...to select the most appropriate VIC-3D surrogate model for subsequent crack sizing inversion step. Inversion results for select mid- bore , through and...the flaw. 15. SUBJECT TERMS Bolt hole eddy current (BHEC); mid- bore , corner and through-thickness crack types; VIC-3D generated surrogate models

  6. SHARP Multiphysics Tutorials

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Yu, Y. Q.; Shemon, E. R.; Mahadevan, Vijay S.

    SHARP, developed under the NEAMS Reactor Product Line, is an advanced modeling and simulation toolkit for the analysis of advanced nuclear reactors. SHARP is comprised of three physics modules currently including neutronics, thermal hydraulics, and structural mechanics. SHARP empowers designers to produce accurate results for modeling physical phenomena that have been identified as important for nuclear reactor analysis. SHARP can use existing physics codes and take advantage of existing infrastructure capabilities in the MOAB framework and the coupling driver/solver library, the Coupled Physics Environment (CouPE), which utilizes the widely used, scalable PETSc library. This report aims at identifying the coupled-physicsmore » simulation capability of SHARP by introducing the demonstration example called sahex in advance of the SHARP release expected by Mar 2016. sahex consists of 6 fuel pins with cladding, 1 control rod, sodium coolant and an outer duct wall that encloses all the other components. This example is carefully chosen to demonstrate the proof of concept for solving more complex demonstration examples such as EBR II assembly and ABTR full core. The workflow of preparing the input files, running the case and analyzing the results is demonstrated in this report. Moreover, an extension of the sahex model called sahex_core, which adds six homogenized neighboring assemblies to the full heterogeneous sahex model, is presented to test homogenization capabilities in both Nek5000 and PROTEUS. Some primary information on the configuration and build aspects for the SHARP toolkit, which includes capability to auto-download dependencies and configure/install with optimal flags in an architecture-aware fashion, is also covered by this report. A step-by-step instruction is provided to help users to create their cases. Details on these processes will be provided in the SHARP user manual that will accompany the first release.« less

  7. A Study of Failure in Small Pressurized Cylindrical Shells Containing a Crack

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Barwell, Craig A.; Eber, Lorenz; Fyfe, Ian M.

    1998-01-01

    The deformation in the vicinity of axial cracks in thin pressurized cylinders is examined using small experimental The deformation in the vicinity of axial cracks in thin pressurized cylinders is examined using small experimental models. The loading applied was either symmetric or unsymmetric about the crack plane, the latter being caused by structural constraints such as stringers. The objective was two fold - one, to provide the experimental results which will allow computer modeling techniques to be evaluated for deformations that are significantly different from that experienced by flat plates, and the other to examine the deformations and conditions associated with the onset of crack kinking which often precedes crack curving. The stresses which control crack growth in a cylindrical geometry depend on conditions introduced by the axial bulging, which is an integral part of this type of failure. For the symmetric geometry, both the hoop and radial strain just ahead off the crack, r = a, were measured and these results compared with those obtained from a variety of structural analysis codes, in particular STAGS [1], ABAQUS and ANSYS. In addition to these measurements, the pressures at the onset of stable and unstable crack growth were obtained and the corresponding crack deformations measured as the pressures were increased to failure. For the unsymmetric cases, measurements were taken of the crack kinking angle, and the displacements in the vicinity of the crack. In general, the strains ahead of the crack showed good agreement between the three computer codes and between the codes and the experiments. In the case of crack behavior, it was determined that modeling stable tearing with a crack-tip opening displacement fracture criterion could be successfully combined with the finite-element analysis techniques as used in structural analysis codes. The analytic results obtained in this study were very compatible with the experimental observations of crack growth. Measured crack kinking angles also showed good agreement with theories based on the maximum principle stress criterion.

  8. Recent evaluations of crack-opening-area in circumferentially cracked pipes

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Rahman, S.; Brust, F.; Ghadiali, N.

    1997-04-01

    Leak-before-break (LBB) analyses for circumferentially cracked pipes are currently being conducted in the nuclear industry to justify elimination of pipe whip restraints and jet shields which are present because of the expected dynamic effects from pipe rupture. The application of the LBB methodology frequently requires calculation of leak rates. The leak rates depend on the crack-opening area of the through-wall crack in the pipe. In addition to LBB analyses which assume a hypothetical flaw size, there is also interest in the integrity of actual leaking cracks corresponding to current leakage detection requirements in NRC Regulatory Guide 1.45, or for assessingmore » temporary repair of Class 2 and 3 pipes that have leaks as are being evaluated in ASME Section XI. The objectives of this study were to review, evaluate, and refine current predictive models for performing crack-opening-area analyses of circumferentially cracked pipes. The results from twenty-five full-scale pipe fracture experiments, conducted in the Degraded Piping Program, the International Piping Integrity Research Group Program, and the Short Cracks in Piping and Piping Welds Program, were used to verify the analytical models. Standard statistical analyses were performed to assess used to verify the analytical models. Standard statistical analyses were performed to assess quantitatively the accuracy of the predictive models. The evaluation also involved finite element analyses for determining the crack-opening profile often needed to perform leak-rate calculations.« less

  9. Extracting real-crack properties from non-linear elastic behaviour of rocks: abundance of cracks with dominating normal compliance and rocks with negative Poisson ratios

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zaitsev, Vladimir Y.; Radostin, Andrey V.; Pasternak, Elena; Dyskin, Arcady

    2017-09-01

    Results of examination of experimental data on non-linear elasticity of rocks using experimentally determined pressure dependences of P- and S-wave velocities from various literature sources are presented. Overall, over 90 rock samples are considered. Interpretation of the data is performed using an effective-medium description in which cracks are considered as compliant defects with explicitly introduced shear and normal compliances without specifying a particular crack model with an a priori given ratio of the compliances. Comparison with the experimental data indicated abundance (˜ 80 %) of cracks with the normal-to-shear compliance ratios that significantly exceed the values typical of conventionally used crack models (such as penny-shaped cuts or thin ellipsoidal cracks). Correspondingly, rocks with such cracks demonstrate a strongly decreased Poisson ratio including a significant (˜ 45 %) portion of rocks exhibiting negative Poisson ratios at lower pressures, for which the concentration of not yet closed cracks is maximal. The obtained results indicate the necessity for further development of crack models to account for the revealed numerous examples of cracks with strong domination of normal compliance. Discovering such a significant number of naturally auxetic rocks is in contrast to the conventional viewpoint that occurrence of a negative Poisson ratio is an exotic fact that is mostly discussed for artificial structures.

  10. Environmental fatigue of an Al-Li-Cu alloy. Part 3: Modeling of crack tip hydrogen damage

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Piascik, Robert S.; Gangloff, Richard P.

    1992-01-01

    Environmental fatigue crack propagation rates and microscopic damage modes in Al-Li-Cu alloy 2090 (Parts 1 and 2) are described by a crack tip process zone model based on hydrogen embrittlement. Da/dN sub ENV equates to discontinuous crack advance over a distance, delta a, determined by dislocation transport of dissolved hydrogen at plastic strains above a critical value; and to the number of load cycles, delta N, required to hydrogenate process zone trap sites that fracture according to a local hydrogen concentration-tensile stress criterion. Transgranular (100) cracking occurs for process zones smaller than the subgrain size, and due to lattice decohesion or hydride formation. Intersubgranular cracking dominates when the process zone encompasses one or more subgrains so that dislocation transport provides hydrogen to strong boundary trapping sites. Multi-sloped log da/dN-log delta K behavior is produced by process zone plastic strain-hydrogen-microstructure interactions, and is determined by the DK dependent rates and proportions of each parallel cracking mode. Absolute values of the exponents and the preexponential coefficients are not predictable; however, fractographic measurements theta sub i coupled with fatigue crack propagation data for alloy 2090 established that the process zone model correctly describes fatigue crack propagation kinetics. Crack surface films hinder hydrogen uptake and reduce da/dN and alter the proportions of each fatigue crack propagation mode.

  11. Nonlocal modeling and buckling features of cracked nanobeams with von Karman nonlinearity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Akbarzadeh Khorshidi, Majid; Shaat, Mohamed; Abdelkefi, Abdessattar; Shariati, Mahmoud

    2017-01-01

    Buckling and postbuckling behaviors of cracked nanobeams made of single-crystalline nanomaterials are investigated. The nonlocal elasticity theory is used to model the nonlocal interatomic effects on the beam's performance accounting for the beam's axial stretching via von Karman nonlinear theory. The crack is then represented as torsional spring where the crack severity factor is derived accounting for the nonlocal features of the beam. By converting the beam into an equivalent infinite long plate with an edge crack subjected to a tensile stress at the far field, the crack energy release rate, intensity factor, and severity factor are derived according to the nonlocal elasticity theory. An analytical solution for the buckling and the postbuckling responses of cracked nonlocal nanobeams accounting for the beam axial stretching according to von Karman nonlinear theory of kinematics is derived. The impacts of the nonlocal parameter on the critical buckling loads and the static nonlinear postbuckling responses of cracked nonlocal nanobeams are studied. The results indicate that the buckling and postbuckling behaviors of cracked nanobeams are strongly affected by the crack location, crack depth, nonlocal parameter, and length-to-thickness ratio.

  12. Deformation fields near a steady fatigue crack with anisotropic plasticity

    DOE PAGES

    Gao, Yanfei

    2015-11-30

    In this work, from finite element simulations based on an irreversible, hysteretic cohesive interface model, a steady fatigue crack can be realized if the crack extension exceeds about twice the plastic zone size, and both the crack increment per loading cycle and the crack bridging zone size are smaller than the plastic zone size. The corresponding deformation fields develop a plastic wake behind the crack tip and a compressive residual stress field ahead of the crack tip. In addition, the Hill’s plasticity model is used to study the role of plastic anisotropy on the retardation of fatigue crack growth andmore » the elastic strain fields. It is found that for Mode-I cyclic loading, an enhanced yield stress in directions that are inclined from the crack plane will lead to slower crack growth rate, but this retardation is insignificant for typical degrees of plastic anisotropy. Furthermore, these results provide key inputs for future comparisons to neutron and synchrotron diffraction measurements that provide full-field lattice strain mapping near fracture and fatigue crack tips, especially in textured materials such as wrought or rolled Mg alloys.« less

  13. Deformation fields near a steady fatigue crack with anisotropic plasticity

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Gao, Yanfei

    In this work, from finite element simulations based on an irreversible, hysteretic cohesive interface model, a steady fatigue crack can be realized if the crack extension exceeds about twice the plastic zone size, and both the crack increment per loading cycle and the crack bridging zone size are smaller than the plastic zone size. The corresponding deformation fields develop a plastic wake behind the crack tip and a compressive residual stress field ahead of the crack tip. In addition, the Hill’s plasticity model is used to study the role of plastic anisotropy on the retardation of fatigue crack growth andmore » the elastic strain fields. It is found that for Mode-I cyclic loading, an enhanced yield stress in directions that are inclined from the crack plane will lead to slower crack growth rate, but this retardation is insignificant for typical degrees of plastic anisotropy. Furthermore, these results provide key inputs for future comparisons to neutron and synchrotron diffraction measurements that provide full-field lattice strain mapping near fracture and fatigue crack tips, especially in textured materials such as wrought or rolled Mg alloys.« less

  14. An electro-mechanical impedance model of a cracked composite beam with adhesively bonded piezoelectric patches

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yan, Wei; Cai, J. B.; Chen, W. Q.

    2011-01-01

    A model of a laminated composite beam including multiple non-propagating part-through surface cracks as well as installed PZT transducers is presented based on the method of reverberation-ray matrix (MRRM) in this paper. Toward determining the local flexibility characteristics induced by the individual cracks, the concept of the massless rotational spring is applied. A Timoshenko beam theory is then used to simulate the behavior of the composite beam with open cracks. As a result, transverse shear and rotatory inertia effects are included in the model. Only one-dimensional axial vibration of the PZT wafer is considered and the imperfect interfacial bonding between PZT patches and the host beam is further investigated based on a Kelvin-type viscoelastic model. Then, an accurate electro-mechanical impedance (EMI) model can be established for crack detection in laminated beams. In this model, the effects of various parameters such as the ply-angle, fibre volume fraction, crack depth and position on the EMI signatures are highlighted. Furthermore, comparison with existent numerical results is presented to validate the present analysis.

  15. Synergistic Effects of Temperature and Oxidation on Matrix Cracking in Fiber-Reinforced Ceramic-Matrix Composites

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Longbiao, Li

    2017-06-01

    In this paper, the synergistic effects of temperatrue and oxidation on matrix cracking in fiber-reinforced ceramic-matrix composites (CMCs) has been investigated using energy balance approach. The shear-lag model cooperated with damage models, i.e., the interface oxidation model, interface debonding model, fiber strength degradation model and fiber failure model, has been adopted to analyze microstress field in the composite. The relationships between matrix cracking stress, interface debonding and slipping, fiber fracture, oxidation temperatures and time have been established. The effects of fiber volume fraction, interface properties, fiber strength and oxidation temperatures on the evolution of matrix cracking stress versus oxidation time have been analyzed. The matrix cracking stresses of C/SiC composite with strong and weak interface bonding after unstressed oxidation at an elevated temperature of 700 °C in air condition have been predicted for different oxidation time.

  16. A Hybrid Numerical Analysis Method for Structural Health Monitoring

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Forth, Scott C.; Staroselsky, Alexander

    2001-01-01

    A new hybrid surface-integral-finite-element numerical scheme has been developed to model a three-dimensional crack propagating through a thin, multi-layered coating. The finite element method was used to model the physical state of the coating (far field), and the surface integral method was used to model the fatigue crack growth. The two formulations are coupled through the need to satisfy boundary conditions on the crack surface and the external boundary. The coupling is sufficiently weak that the surface integral mesh of the crack surface and the finite element mesh of the uncracked volume can be set up independently. Thus when modeling crack growth, the finite element mesh can remain fixed for the duration of the simulation as the crack mesh is advanced. This method was implemented to evaluate the feasibility of fabricating a structural health monitoring system for real-time detection of surface cracks propagating in engine components. In this work, the authors formulate the hybrid surface-integral-finite-element method and discuss the mechanical issues of implementing a structural health monitoring system in an aircraft engine environment.

  17. Prediction of reinforcement corrosion using corrosion induced cracks width in corroded reinforced concrete beams

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Khan, Inamullah; François, Raoul; Castel, Arnaud

    2014-02-15

    This paper studies the evolution of reinforcement corrosion in comparison to corrosion crack width in a highly corroded reinforced concrete beam. Cracking and corrosion maps of the beam were drawn and steel reinforcement was recovered from the beam to observe the corrosion pattern and to measure the loss of mass of steel reinforcement. Maximum steel cross-section loss of the main reinforcement and average steel cross-section loss between stirrups were plotted against the crack width. The experimental results were compared with existing models proposed by Rodriguez et al., Vidal et al. and Zhang et al. Time prediction models for a givenmore » opening threshold are also compared to experimental results. Steel cross-section loss for stirrups was also measured and was plotted against the crack width. It was observed that steel cross-section loss in the stirrups had no relationship with the crack width of longitudinal corrosion cracks. -- Highlights: •Relationship between crack and corrosion of reinforcement was investigated. •Corrosion results of natural process and then corresponds to in-situ conditions. •Comparison with time predicting model is provided. •Prediction of load-bearing capacity from crack pattern was studied.« less

  18. Simulating the effect of slab features on vapor intrusion of crack entry

    PubMed Central

    Yao, Yijun; Pennell, Kelly G.; Suuberg, Eric M.

    2012-01-01

    In vapor intrusion screening models, a most widely employed assumption in simulating the entry of contaminant into a building is that of a crack in the building foundation slab. Some modelers employed a perimeter crack hypothesis while others chose not to identify the crack type. However, few studies have systematically investigated the influence on vapor intrusion predictions of slab crack features, such as the shape and distribution of slab cracks and related to this overall building foundation footprint size. In this paper, predictions from a three-dimensional model of vapor intrusion are used to compare the contaminant mass flow rates into buildings with different foundation slab crack features. The simulations show that the contaminant mass flow rate into the building does not change much for different assumed slab crack shapes and locations, and the foundation footprint size does not play a significant role in determining contaminant mass flow rate through a unit area of crack. Moreover, the simulation helped reveal the distribution of subslab contaminant soil vapor concentration beneath the foundation, and the results suggest that in most cases involving no biodegradation, the variation in subslab concentration should not exceed an order of magnitude, and is often significantly less than this. PMID:23359620

  19. A study of fiber volume fraction effects in notched unidirectional SCS-6/Ti-15V-3Cr-3Al-3Sn composite. Ph.D. Thesis Final Report

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Covey, Steven J.

    1993-01-01

    Notched unidirectional SCS-6/Ti-15-3 composite of three different fiber volume fractions (vf = 0.15, 0.37, and 0.41) was investigated for various room temperature microstructural and material properties including: fatigue crack initiation, fatigue crack growth, and fracture toughness. While the matrix hardness is similar for all fiber volume fractions, the fiber/matrix interfacial shear strength and matrix residual stress increases with fiber volume fraction. The composite fatigue crack initiation stress is shown to be matrix controlled and occurs when the net maximum matrix stress approaches the endurance limit stress of the matrix. A model is presented which includes residual stresses and presents the composite initiation stress as a function of fiber volume fraction. This model predicts a maximum composite initiation stress at vf approximately 0.15 which agrees with the experimental data. The applied composite stress levels were increased as necessary for continued crack growth. The applied Delta(K) values at crack arrest increase with fiber volume fraction by an amount better approximated using an energy based formulation rather than when scaled linear with modulus. After crack arrest, the crack growth rate exponents for vf37 and vf41 were much lower and toughness much higher, when compared to the unreinforced matrix, because of the bridged region which parades with the propagating fatigue crack. However, the vf15 material exhibited a higher crack growth rate exponent and lower toughness than the unreinforced matrix because once the bridged fibers nearest the crack mouth broke, the stress redistribution broke all bridged fibers, leaving an unbridged crack. Degraded, unbridged behavior is modeled using the residual stress state in the matrix ahead of the crack tip. Plastic zone sizes were directly measured using a metallographic technique and allow prediction of an effective matrix stress intensity which agrees with the fiber pressure model if residual stresses are considered. The sophisticated macro/micro finite element models of the 0.15 and 0.37 fiber volume fractions presented show good agreement with experimental data and the fiber pressure model when an estimated effective fiber/matrix debond length is used.

  20. Roughening of surfaces under intense and rapid heating

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Andersen, Michael Louis

    The High Average Power Laser (HAPL) project is aimed at a chamber design with a solid first wall in pursuit of sustained Laser Inertial Confinement Fusion. The wall must be able to withstand cyclic high temperatures and the corresponding thermal stresses. Tungsten was proposed as a suitable armor for the wall, because as a refractory metal, it has a high melting temperature and can act as a stress dampener. The nature of the surface loading consists of x-rays, ions, and neutrons, which through mainly thermal loading, create a biaxial surface stress. This condition causes the surface to roughen as ridges and valleys form to relieve the elastic energy. As the valleys deepen they eventually become cracks and traditional fracture mechanics can be used to determine the life of the first wall. Beginning from the Asaro-Tiller-Grinfeld instability, sharp interface calculations can be performed to determine the surface profile as a result of the interplay between surface stress energy and mass transport mechanisms. One successful approach to determine interface evolution is phase field theory and its embodiment in the numerical level-set method. Applications of the method included problems of solid/liquid and solid/vapor interfaces. In the present method, however, we develop a numerical procedure for surface profile tracking directly without the need to develop partial differential equations for the phase field, which typically smooth out sharp interfaces. Surface roughening instabilities, which are driven by a competition between elastic and surface energy contributions, are shown to be significantly controlled by plastic energy dissipation. We consider here a general parametric description of the surface of a stressed solid and through a mechanical kinetic transport mechanism, follow the temporal evolution of the surface morphology. It is found that once a groove reaches a certain depth and curvature, an instability is created that cannot be followed through elasticity alone. It is shown in this thesis that these morphological instabilities do not experience unbounded growth, as predicted by consideration of elastic energy alone, and that their growth will be severely limited by dislocation emission from high curvature grooves. Comparisons between perturbation theory and the present numerical approach are given along with comparisons to results from laser, ion, and x-ray experiments. Finally, the model is applied to the conditions of Inertial Confinement Fusion chamber walls to determine the number of cycles for crack nucleation.

  1. Growth Life of Surface Cracks in the Rail Web

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1989-01-01

    The results of a theoretical study of the propagation behavior of surface cracks in the web of railroad rails are presented. Two fracture mechanics models are presented: (1) a conventional LEFM model of an elliptical surface crack of constant aspect ...

  2. Crack Growth Prediction Methodology for Multi-Site Damage: Layered Analysis and Growth During Plasticity

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    James, Mark Anthony

    1999-01-01

    A finite element program has been developed to perform quasi-static, elastic-plastic crack growth simulations. The model provides a general framework for mixed-mode I/II elastic-plastic fracture analysis using small strain assumptions and plane stress, plane strain, and axisymmetric finite elements. Cracks are modeled explicitly in the mesh. As the cracks propagate, automatic remeshing algorithms delete the mesh local to the crack tip, extend the crack, and build a new mesh around the new tip. State variable mapping algorithms transfer stresses and displacements from the old mesh to the new mesh. The von Mises material model is implemented in the context of a non-linear Newton solution scheme. The fracture criterion is the critical crack tip opening displacement, and crack direction is predicted by the maximum tensile stress criterion at the crack tip. The implementation can accommodate multiple curving and interacting cracks. An additional fracture algorithm based on nodal release can be used to simulate fracture along a horizontal plane of symmetry. A core of plane strain elements can be used with the nodal release algorithm to simulate the triaxial state of stress near the crack tip. Verification and validation studies compare analysis results with experimental data and published three-dimensional analysis results. Fracture predictions using nodal release for compact tension, middle-crack tension, and multi-site damage test specimens produced accurate results for residual strength and link-up loads. Curving crack predictions using remeshing/mapping were compared with experimental data for an Arcan mixed-mode specimen. Loading angles from 0 degrees to 90 degrees were analyzed. The maximum tensile stress criterion was able to predict the crack direction and path for all loading angles in which the material failed in tension. Residual strength was also accurately predicted for these cases.

  3. Application of the line-spring model to a cylindrical shell containing a circumferential or axial part-through crack

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Delale, F.; Erdogan, F.

    1981-01-01

    An approximate solution was obtained for a cylindrical shell containing a part-through surface crack. It was assumed that the shell contains a circumferential or axial semi-elliptic internal or external surface crack and was subjected to a uniform membrane loading or a uniform bending moment away from the crack region. A Reissner type theory was used to account for the effects of the transverse shear deformations. The stress intensity factor at the deepest penetration point of the crack was tabulated for bending and membrane loading by varying three dimensionless length parameters of the problem formed from the shell radius, the shell thickness, the crack length, and the crack depth. The upper bounds of the stress intensity factors are provided by the results of the elasticity solution obtained from the axisymmetric crack problem for the circumferential crack, and that found from the plane strain problem for a circular ring having a radial crack for the axial crack. The line-spring model gives the expected results in comparison with the elasticity solutions. Results also compare well with the existing finite element solution of the pressurized cylinder containing an internal semi-elliptic surface crack.

  4. Analytical and experimental studies on detection of longitudinal, L and inverted T cracks in isotropic and bi-material beams based on changes in natural frequencies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ravi, J. T.; Nidhan, S.; Muthu, N.; Maiti, S. K.

    2018-02-01

    An analytical method for determination of dimensions of longitudinal crack in monolithic beams, based on frequency measurements, has been extended to model L and inverted T cracks. Such cracks including longitudinal crack arise in beams made of layered isotropic or composite materials. A new formulation for modelling cracks in bi-material beams is presented. Longitudinal crack segment sizes, for L and inverted T cracks, varying from 2.7% to 13.6% of length of Euler-Bernoulli beams are considered. Both forward and inverse problems have been examined. In the forward problems, the analytical results are compared with finite element (FE) solutions. In the inverse problems, the accuracy of prediction of crack dimensions is verified using FE results as input for virtual testing. The analytical results show good agreement with the actual crack dimensions. Further, experimental studies have been done to verify the accuracy of the analytical method for prediction of dimensions of three types of crack in isotropic and bi-material beams. The results show that the proposed formulation is reliable and can be employed for crack detection in slender beam like structures in practice.

  5. Modeling of heat flow and effective thermal conductivity of fractured media: Analytical and numerical methods

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nguyen, S. T.; Vu, M.-H.; Vu, M. N.; Tang, A. M.

    2017-05-01

    The present work aims to modeling the thermal conductivity of fractured materials using homogenization-based analytical and pattern-based numerical methods. These materials are considered as a network of cracks distributed inside a solid matrix. Heat flow through such media is perturbed by the crack system. The problem of heat flow across a single crack is firstly investigated. The classical Eshelby's solution, extended to the thermal conduction problem of an ellipsoidal inclusion embedding in an infinite homogeneous matrix, gives an analytical solution of temperature discontinuity across a non-conducting penny-shaped crack. This solution is then validated by the numerical simulation based on the finite elements method. The numerical simulation allows analyzing the effect of crack conductivity. The problem of a single crack is then extended to a medium containing multiple cracks. Analytical estimations for effective thermal conductivity, that take into account the interaction between cracks and their spatial distribution, are developed for the case of non-conducting cracks. Pattern-based numerical method is then employed for both cases non-conducting and conducting cracks. In the case of non-conducting cracks, numerical and analytical methods, both account for the spatial distribution of the cracks, fit perfectly. In the case of conducting cracks, the numerical analyzing of crack conductivity effect shows that highly conducting cracks weakly affect heat flow and the effective thermal conductivity of fractured media.

  6. Numerical simulations of electric potential field for alternating current potential drop associated with surface cracks in low-alloy steel nuclear material

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yeh, Chun-Ping; Huang, Jiunn-Yuan

    2018-04-01

    Low-alloy steels used as structural materials in nuclear power plants are subjected to cyclic stresses during power plant operations. As a result, cracks may develop and propagate through the material. The alternating current potential drop technique is used to measure the lengths of cracks in metallic components. The depth of the penetration of the alternating current is assumed to be small compared to the crack length. This assumption allows the adoption of the unfolding technique to simplify the problem to a surface Laplacian field. The numerical modelling of the electric potential and current density distribution prediction model for a compact tension specimen and the unfolded crack model are presented in this paper. The goal of this work is to conduct numerical simulations to reduce deviations occurring in the crack length measurements. Numerical simulations were conducted on AISI 4340 low-alloy steel with different crack lengths to evaluate the electric potential distribution. From the simulated results, an optimised position for voltage measurements in the crack region was proposed.

  7. Anisotropic Poroelasticity in a Rock With Cracks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wong, Teng-Fong

    2017-10-01

    Deformation of a saturated rock in the field and laboratory may occur in a broad range of conditions, ranging from undrained to drained. The poromechanical response is often anisotropic, and in a brittle rock, closely related to preexisting and stress-induced cracks. This can be modeled as a rock matrix embedded with an anisotropic system of cracks. Assuming microisotropy, expressions for three of the poroelastic coefficients of a transversely isotropic rock were derived in terms of the crack density tensor. Together with published results for the five effective elastic moduli, this provides a complete micromechanical description of the eight independent poroelastic coefficients of such a cracked rock. Relatively simple expressions were obtained for the Skempton pore pressure tensor, which allow one to infer the crack density tensor from undrained measurement in the laboratory, and also to infer the Biot-Willis effective stress coefficients. The model assumes a dilute concentration of noninteractive penny-shaped cracks, and it shows good agreement with experimental data for Berea sandstone, with crack density values up to 0.6. Whereas predictions on the storage coefficient and normal components of the elastic stiffness tensor also seem reasonable, significant discrepancy between model and measurement was observed regarding the off-diagonal and shear components of the stiffness. A plausible model had been proposed for development of very strong anisotropy in the undrained response of a fault zone, and the model here placed geometric constraints on the associated fracture system.

  8. Slow crack growth: Models and experiments

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Santucci, S.; Vanel, L.; Ciliberto, S.

    2007-07-01

    The properties of slow crack growth in brittle materials are analyzed both theoretically and experimentally. We propose a model based on a thermally activated rupture process. Considering a 2D spring network submitted to an external load and to thermal noise, we show that a preexisting crack in the network may slowly grow because of stress fluctuations. An analytical solution is found for the evolution of the crack length as a function of time, the time to rupture and the statistics of the crack jumps. These theoretical predictions are verified by studying experimentally the subcritical growth of a single crack in thin sheets of paper. A good agreement between the theoretical predictions and the experimental results is found. In particular, our model suggests that the statistical stress fluctuations trigger rupture events at a nanometric scale corresponding to the diameter of cellulose microfibrils.

  9. Modelling explicit fracture of nuclear fuel pellets using peridynamics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mella, R.; Wenman, M. R.

    2015-12-01

    Three dimensional models of explicit cracking of nuclear fuel pellets for a variety of power ratings have been explored with peridynamics, a non-local, mesh free, fracture mechanics method. These models were implemented in the explicitly integrated molecular dynamics code LAMMPS, which was modified to include thermal strains in solid bodies. The models of fuel fracture, during initial power transients, are shown to correlate with the mean number of cracks observed on the inner and outer edges of the pellet, by experimental post irradiation examination of fuel, for power ratings of 10 and 15 W g-1 UO2. The models of the pellet show the ability to predict expected features such as the mid-height pellet crack, the correct number of radial cracks and initiation and coalescence of radial cracks. This work presents a modelling alternative to empirical fracture data found in many fuel performance codes and requires just one parameter of fracture strain. Weibull distributions of crack numbers were fitted to both numerical and experimental data using maximum likelihood estimation so that statistical comparison could be made. The findings show P-values of less than 0.5% suggesting an excellent agreement between model and experimental distributions.

  10. The effect of an East Pacific Rise offset on the formation of secondary cracks ahead of the Cocos-Nazca Rift at the Galapagos Triple Junction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Smith, D. K.; Montesi, L. G.; Schouten, H.; Zhu, W.

    2011-12-01

    A succession of short-lived, E-W trending cracks at the Galapagos Triple Junction north and south of the Cocos-Nazca (C-N) Rift, has been explained by a simple crack interaction model. The locations of where the cracks initiate are controlled by tensile stresses generated at the East Pacific Rise (EPR) by two interacting cracks: One representing the north-south trending EPR, and the other the large, westward propagating C-N Rift, whose tip is separated from the EPR by a distance D. The model predicts symmetric cracking at the EPR north and south of the C-N Rift tip. Symmetry in the distribution of cracks north and south of the C-N Rift is observed and especially remarkable between 2.5 and 1.5 Ma when the rapid jumping of cracks toward the C-N Rift appears synchronous. The rapid jumping can be explained by decreasing D, which means that the tip of the C-N Rift was moving closer to the EPR. Symmetry of cracking breaks down at 1.5 Ma, however, with the establishment of the Dietz Deep Rift, the southern boundary of the Galapagos microplate. Symmetry of cracking also breaks down on older crust to the east between about 100 35'W and 100 45'W (about 2.6 Ma) where a rapid jumping of cracks toward the C-N Rift is observed in the south cracking region. There is no evidence of similar rapid jumping in the north cracking region. It could be simply that the response to changing the value of D is not always as predicted. It could also be that the shape of the EPR has not always been symmetric about the C-N Rift, as assumed in the model. Currently, an overlapping spreading center with a 15 km east-west offset between the limbs of the EPR has formed at 1 50'N. We assess the importance of the geometry of the EPR on the crack interaction model. The model has been modified to include a ridge offset similar to what is observed today. We find that the region of stress enhancement at the EPR (where cracks initiate) is subdued south of the C-N Rift tip because of the EPR offset. It is possible, therefore, that the asymmetry in cracking observed since about 1.5 Ma may be explained in part by the presence of a ridge offset south of the C-N Rift tip.

  11. A Linearized Model for Wave Propagation through Coupled Volcanic Conduit-crack Systems Filled with Multiphase Magma

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liang, C.; Dunham, E. M.; OReilly, O. J.; Karlstrom, L.

    2015-12-01

    Both the oscillation of magma in volcanic conduits and resonance of fluid-filled cracks (dikes and sills) are appealing explanations for very long period signals recorded at many active volcanoes. While these processes have been studied in isolation, real volcanic systems involve interconnected networks of conduits and cracks. The overall objective of our work is to develop a model of wave propagation and ultimately eruptive fluid dynamics through this coupled system. Here, we present a linearized model for wave propagation through a conduit with multiple cracks branching off of it. The fluid is compressible and viscous, and is comprised of a mixture of liquid melt and gas bubbles. Nonequilibrium bubble growth and resorption (BGR) is quantified by introducing a time scale for mass exchange between phases, following the treatment in Karlstrom and Dunham (2015). We start by deriving the dispersion relation for crack waves travelling along the multiphase-magma-filled crack embedded in an elastic solid. Dissipation arises from magma viscosity, nonequilibrium BGR, and radiation of seismic waves into the solid. We next introduce coupling conditions between the conduit and crack, expressing conservation of mass and the balance of forces across the junction. Waves in the conduit, like those in the crack, are influenced by nonequilibrium BGR, but the deformability of the surrounding solid is far less important than for cracks. Solution of the coupled system of equations provides the evolution of pressure and fluid velocity within the conduit-crack system. The system has various resonant modes that are sensitive to fluid properties and to the geometry of the conduit and cracks. Numerical modeling of seismic waves in the solid allows us to generate synthetic seismograms.

  12. A probabilistic method for determining the volume fraction of pre-embedded capsules in self-healing materials

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lv, Zhong; Chen, Huisu

    2014-10-01

    Autonomous healing of cracks using pre-embedded capsules containing healing agent is becoming a promising approach to restore the strength of damaged structures. In addition to the material properties, the size and volume fraction of capsules influence crack healing in the matrix. Understanding the crack and capsule interaction is critical in the development and design of structures made of self-healing materials. Assuming that the pre-embedded capsules are randomly dispersed we theoretically model flat ellipsoidal crack interaction with capsules and determine the probability of a crack intersecting the pre-embedded capsules i.e. the self-healing probability. We also develop a probabilistic model of a crack simultaneously meeting with capsules and catalyst carriers in two-component self-healing system matrix. Using a risk-based healing approach, we determine the volume fraction and size of the pre-embedded capsules that are required to achieve a certain self-healing probability. To understand the effect of the shape of the capsules on self-healing we theoretically modeled crack interaction with spherical and cylindrical capsules. We compared the results of our theoretical model with Monte-Carlo simulations of crack interaction with capsules. The formulae presented in this paper will provide guidelines for engineers working with self-healing structures in material selection and sustenance.

  13. Crack Extension and Possibility of Debonding in Encapsulation-Based Self-Healing Materials.

    PubMed

    Li, Wenting; Jiang, Zhengwu; Yang, Zhenghong

    2017-05-27

    The breakage of capsules upon crack propagation is crucial for achieving crack healing in encapsulation-based self-healing materials. A mesomechanical model was developed in this study to simulate the process of crack propagation in a matrix and the potential of debonding. The model used the extended finite element method (XFEM) combined with a cohesive zone model (CZM) in a two-dimensional (2D) configuration. The configuration consisted of an infinite matrix with an embedded crack and a capsule nearby, all subjected to a uniaxial remote tensile load. A parametric study was performed to investigate the effect of geometry, elastic parameters and fracture properties on the fracture response of the system. The results indicated that the effect of the capsule wall on the fracture behavior of the matrix is insignificant for t c / R c ≤ 0.05. The matrix strength influenced the ultimate crack length, while the Young's modulus ratio E c / E m only affected the rate of crack propagation. The potential for capsule breakage or debonding was dependent on the comparative strength between capsule and interface (S c /S int ), provided the crack could reach the capsule. The critical value of S c ,cr /S int,cr was obtained using this model for materials design.

  14. Visual simulation of fatigue crack growth

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Shuanzhu; Margolin, Harold; Lin, Fengbao

    1998-07-01

    An attempt has been made to visually simulate fatigue crack propagation from a precrack. An integrated program was developed for this purpose. The crack-tip shape was determined at four load positions in the first load cycle. The final shape was a blunt front with an “ear” profile at the precrack tip. A more general model, schematically illustrating the mechanism of fatigue crack growth and striation formation in a ductile material, was proposed based on this simulation. According to the present model, fatigue crack growth is an intermittent process; cyclic plastic shear strain is the driving force applied to both state I and II crack growth. No fracture mode transition occurs between the two stages in the present study. The crack growth direction alternates, moving up and down successively, producing fatigue striations. A brief examination has been made of the crack growth path in a ductile two-phase material.

  15. Numerical model of water flow and solute accumulation in vertisols using HYDRUS 2D/3D code

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Weiss, Tomáš; Dahan, Ofer; Turkeltub, Tuvia

    2015-04-01

    Keywords: dessication-crack-induced-salinization, preferential flow, conceptual model, numerical model, vadose zone, vertisols, soil water retention function, HYDRUS 2D/3D Vertisols cover a hydrologically very significant area of semi-arid regions often through which water infiltrates to groundwater aquifers. Understanding of water flow and solute accumulation is thus very relevant to agricultural activity and water resources management. Previous works suggest a conceptual model of dessication-crack-induced-salinization where salinization of sediment in the deep section of the vadose zone (up to 4 m) is induced by subsurface evaporation due to convective air flow in the dessication cracks. It suggests that the salinization is induced by the hydraulic gradient between the dry sediment in the vicinity of cracks (low potential) and the relatively wet sediment further from the main cracks (high potential). This paper presents a modified previously suggested conceptual model and a numerical model. The model uses a simple uniform flow approach but unconventionally prescribes the boundary conditions and the hydraulic parameters of soil. The numerical model is bound to one location close to a dairy farm waste lagoon, but the application of the suggested conceptual model could be possibly extended to all semi-arid regions with vertisols. Simulations were conducted using several modeling approaches with an ultimate goal of fitting the simulation results to the controlling variables measured in the field: temporal variation in water content across thick layer of unsaturated clay sediment (>10 m), sediment salinity and salinity the water draining down the vadose zone to the water table. The development of the model was engineered in several steps; all computed as forward solutions by try-and-error approach. The model suggests very deep instant infiltration of fresh water up to 12 m, which is also supported by the field data. The paper suggests prescribing a special atmospheric boundary to the wall of the crack (so that the solute can accumulate due to evaporation on the crack block wall, and infiltrating fresh water can push the solute further down) - in order to do so, HYDRUS 2D/3D code had to be modified by its developers. Unconventionally, the main fitting parameters were: parameter a and n in the soil water retention curve and saturated hydraulic conductivity. The amount of infiltrated water (within a reasonable range), the infiltration function in the crack and the actual evaporation from the crack were also used as secondary fitting parameters. The model supports the previous findings that significant amount (~90%) of water from rain events must infiltrate through the crack. It was also noted that infiltration from the crack has to be increasing with depth and that the highest infiltration rate should be somewhere between 1-3m. This paper suggests a new way how to model vertisols in semi-arid regions. It also supports the previous findings about vertisols: especially, the utmost importance of soil cracks as preferential pathways for water and contaminants and soil cracks as deep evaporators.

  16. Simulating Fatigue Crack Growth in Spiral Bevel Gears

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Spievak, Lisa E.; Wawrzynek, Paul A.; Ingraffea, Anthony R.

    2000-01-01

    The majority of helicopter transmission systems utilize spiral bevel gears to convert the horizontal power from the engine into vertical power for the rotor. Due to the cyclical loading on a gear's tooth, fatigue crack propagation can occur. In rotorcraft applications, a crack's trajectory determines whether the gear failure will be benign or catastrophic for the aircraft. As a result, the capability to predict crack growth in gears is significant. A spiral bevel gear's complex shape requires a three dimensional model of the geometry and cracks. The boundary element method in conjunction with linear elastic fracture mechanics theories is used to predict arbitrarily shaped three dimensional fatigue crack trajectories in a spiral bevel pinion under moving load conditions. The predictions are validated by comparison to experimental results. The sensitivity of the predictions to variations in loading conditions and crack growth rate model parameters is explored. Critical areas that must be understood in greater detail prior to predicting more accurate crack trajectories and crack growth rates in three dimensions are identified.

  17. Analytical Modeling of Pressure Wall Hole Size and Maximum Tip-to-Tip Crack Length for Perforating Normal and Oblique Orbital Debris Impacts

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Schonberg, William P.; Mohamed, Essam

    1997-01-01

    This report presents the results of a study whose objective was to develop first-principles-based models of hole size and maximum tip-to-tip crack length for a spacecraft module pressure wall that has been perforated in an orbital debris particle impact. The hole size and crack length models are developed by sequentially characterizing the phenomena comprising the orbital debris impact event, including the initial impact, the creation and motion of a debris cloud within the dual-wall system, the impact of the debris cloud on the pressure wall, the deformation of the pressure wall due to debris cloud impact loading prior to crack formation, pressure wall crack initiation, propagation, and arrest, and finally pressure wall deformation following crack initiation and growth. The model development has been accomplished through the application of elementary shock physics and thermodynamic theory, as well as the principles of mass, momentum, and energy conservation. The predictions of the model developed herein are compared against the predictions of empirically-based equations for hole diameters and maximum tip-to-tip crack length for three International Space Station wall configurations. The ISS wall systems considered are the baseline U.S. Lab Cylinder, the enhanced U.S. Lab Cylinder, and the U.S. Lab Endcone. The empirical predictor equations were derived from experimentally obtained hole diameters and crack length data. The original model predictions did not compare favorably with the experimental data, especially for cases in which pressure wall petalling did not occur. Several modifications were made to the original model to bring its predictions closer in line with the experimental results. Following the adjustment of several empirical constants, the predictions of the modified analytical model were in much closer agreement with the experimental results.

  18. A Continuum-Atomistic Analysis of Transgranular Crack Propagation in Aluminum

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Yamakov, V.; Saether, E.; Glaessgen, E.

    2009-01-01

    A concurrent multiscale modeling methodology that embeds a molecular dynamics (MD) region within a finite element (FEM) domain is used to study plastic processes at a crack tip in a single crystal of aluminum. The case of mode I loading is studied. A transition from deformation twinning to full dislocation emission from the crack tip is found when the crack plane is rotated around the [111] crystallographic axis. When the crack plane normal coincides with the [112] twinning direction, the crack propagates through a twinning mechanism. When the crack plane normal coincides with the [011] slip direction, the crack propagates through the emission of full dislocations. In intermediate orientations, a transition from full dislocation emission to twinning is found to occur with an increase in the stress intensity at the crack tip. This finding confirms the suggestion that the very high strain rates, inherently present in MD simulations, which produce higher stress intensities at the crack tip, over-predict the tendency for deformation twinning compared to experiments. The present study, therefore, aims to develop a more realistic and accurate predictive modeling of fracture processes.

  19. The detectability of cracks using sonic IR

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Morbidini, Marco; Cawley, Peter

    2009-05-01

    This paper proposes a methodology to study the detectability of fatigue cracks in metals using sonic IR (also known as thermosonics). The method relies on the validation of simple finite-element thermal models of the cracks and specimens in which the thermal loads have been defined by means of a priori measurement of the additional damping introduced in the specimens by each crack. This estimate of crack damping is used in conjunction with a local measurement of the vibration strain during ultrasonic excitation to retrieve the power released at the crack; these functions are then input to the thermal model of the specimens to find the resulting temperature rises (sonic IR signals). The method was validated on mild steel beams with two-dimensional cracks obtained in the low-cycle fatigue regime as well as nickel-based superalloy beams with three-dimensional "thumbnail" cracks generated in the high-cycle fatigue regime. The equivalent 40kHz strain necessary to obtain a desired temperature rise was calculated for cracks in the nickel superalloy set, and the detectability of cracks as a function of length in the range of 1-5mm was discussed.

  20. Fatigue Analyses Under Constant- and Variable-Amplitude Loading Using Small-Crack Theory

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Newman, J. C., Jr.; Phillips, E. P.; Everett, R. A., Jr.

    1999-01-01

    Studies on the growth of small cracks have led to the observation that fatigue life of many engineering materials is primarily "crack growth" from micro-structural features, such as inclusion particles, voids, slip-bands or from manufacturing defects. This paper reviews the capabilities of a plasticity-induced crack-closure model to predict fatigue lives of metallic materials using "small-crack theory" under various loading conditions. Constraint factors, to account for three-dimensional effects, were selected to correlate large-crack growth rate data as a function of the effective stress-intensity factor range (delta-Keff) under constant-amplitude loading. Modifications to the delta-Keff-rate relations in the near-threshold regime were needed to fit measured small-crack growth rate behavior. The model was then used to calculate small-and large-crack growth rates, and to predict total fatigue lives, for notched and un-notched specimens under constant-amplitude and spectrum loading. Fatigue lives were predicted using crack-growth relations and micro-structural features like those that initiated cracks in the fatigue specimens for most of the materials analyzed. Results from the tests and analyses agreed well.

  1. Three-dimensional CTOA and constraint effects during stable tearing in a thin-sheet material

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dawicke, D. S.; Newman, J. C., Jr.; Bigelow, C. A.

    1995-01-01

    A small strain theory, three-dimensional elastic-plastic finite element analysis was used to simulate fracture in thin sheet 2024-T3 aluminum alloy in the T-L orientation. Both straight and tunneled cracks were modeled. The tunneled crack front shapes as a function of applied stress were obtained from the fracture surface of tested specimens. The stable crack growth behavior was measured at the specimen surface as a function of applied stress. The fracture simulation modeled the crack tunneling and extension as a function of applied stress. The results indicated that the global constraint factor, alpha(sub g), initially dropped during stable crack growth. After peak applied stress was achieved, alpha(sub g) began to increase slightly. The effect of crack front shape on alpha(sub g) was small, but the crack front shape did greatly influence the local constraint and through-thickness crack-tip opening angle (CTOA) behavior. The surface values of CTOA for the tunneled crack front model agreed well with experimental measurements, showing the same initial decrease from high values during the initial 3mm of crack growth at the specimen's surface. At the same time, the interior CTOA values increased from low angles. After the initial stable tearing region, the CTOA was constant through the thickness. The three-dimensional analysis appears to confirm the potential of CTOA as a two-dimensional fracture criterion.

  2. Crack Opening Displacement Behavior in Ceramic Matrix Composites

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sevener, Kathy; Tracy, Jared; Chen, Zhe; Daly, Sam; Kiser, Doug

    2017-01-01

    Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMC) modeling and life prediction strongly depend on oxidation, and therefore require a thorough understanding of when matrix cracks occur, the extent of cracking for given conditions (time-temperature-environment-stress), and the interactions of matrix cracks with fibers and interfaces. In this work, the evolution of matrix cracks in a melt-infiltrated Silicon Carbide/Silicon Carbide (SiC/SiC) CMC under uniaxial tension was examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) combined with digital image correlation (DIC) and manual crack opening displacement (COD) measurements. Strain relaxation due to matrix cracking, the relationship between COD's and applied stress, and damage evolution at stresses below the proportional limit were assessed. Direct experimental observation of strain relaxation adjacent to regions of matrix cracking is presented and discussed. Additionally, crack openings were found to increase linearly with increasing applied stress, and no crack was found to pass fully through the gage cross-section. This observation is discussed in the context of the assumption of through-cracks for all loading conditions and fiber architectures in oxidation modeling. Finally, the combination of SEM with DIC is demonstrated throughout to be a powerful means for damage identification and quantification in CMC's at stresses well below the proportional limit.

  3. Stochastic model for fatigue crack size and cost effective design decisions. [for aerospace structures

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hanagud, S.; Uppaluri, B.

    1975-01-01

    This paper describes a methodology for making cost effective fatigue design decisions. The methodology is based on a probabilistic model for the stochastic process of fatigue crack growth with time. The development of a particular model for the stochastic process is also discussed in the paper. The model is based on the assumption of continuous time and discrete space of crack lengths. Statistical decision theory and the developed probabilistic model are used to develop the procedure for making fatigue design decisions on the basis of minimum expected cost or risk function and reliability bounds. Selections of initial flaw size distribution, NDT, repair threshold crack lengths, and inspection intervals are discussed.

  4. Numerical determination of Paris law constants for carbon steel using a two-scale model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mlikota, M.; Staib, S.; Schmauder, S.; Božić, Ž.

    2017-05-01

    For most engineering alloys, the long fatigue crack growth under a certain stress level can be described by the Paris law. The law provides a correlation between the fatigue crack growth rate (FCGR or da/dN), the range of stress intensity factor (ΔK), and the material constants C and m. A well-established test procedure is typically used to determine the Paris law constants C and m, considering standard specimens, notched and pre-cracked. Definition of all the details necessary to obtain feasible and comparable Paris law constants are covered by standards. However, these cost-expensive tests can be replaced by appropriate numerical calculations. In this respect, this paper deals with the numerical determination of Paris law constants for carbon steel using a two-scale model. A micro-model containing the microstructure of a material is generated using the Finite Element Method (FEM) to calculate the fatigue crack growth rate at a crack tip. The model is based on the Tanaka-Mura equation. On the other side, a macro-model serves for the calculation of the stress intensity factor. The analysis yields a relationship between the crack growth rates and the stress intensity factors for defined crack lengths which is then used to determine the Paris law constants.

  5. Modeling Micro-cracking Behavior of Bukit Timah Granite Using Grain-Based Model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Peng, Jun; Wong, Louis Ngai Yuen; Teh, Cee Ing; Li, Zhihuan

    2018-01-01

    Rock strength and deformation behavior has long been recognized to be closely related to the microstructure and the associated micro-cracking process. A good understanding of crack initiation and coalescence mechanisms will thus allow us to account for the variation of rock strength and deformation properties from a microscopic view. This paper numerically investigates the micro-cracking behavior of Bukit Timah granite by using a grain-based modeling approach. First, the principles of grain-based model adopted in the two-dimensional Particle Flow Code and the numerical model generation procedure are reviewed. The micro-parameters of the numerical model are then calibrated to match the macro-properties of the rock obtained from tension and compression tests in the laboratory. The simulated rock properties are in good agreement with the laboratory test results with the errors less than ±6%. Finally, the calibrated model is used to study the micro-cracking behavior and the failure modes of the rock under direct tension and under compression with different confining pressures. The results reveal that when the numerical model is loaded in direct tension, only grain boundary tensile cracks are generated, and the simulated macroscopic fracture agrees well with the results obtained in laboratory tests. When the model is loaded in compression, the ratio of grain boundary tensile cracks to grain boundary shear cracks decreases with the increase in confining pressure. In other words, the results show that as the confining pressure increases, the failure mechanism changes from tension to shear. The simulated failure mode of the model changes from splitting to shear as the applied confining pressure gradually increases, which is comparable with that observed in laboratory tests. The grain-based model used in this study thus appears promising for further investigation of microscopic and macroscopic behavior of crystalline rocks under different loading conditions.

  6. Analysis of the Influence of Cracked Sleepers under Static Loading on Ballasted Railway Tracks

    PubMed Central

    Montalbán Domingo, Laura; Zamorano Martín, Clara; Palenzuela Avilés, Cristina; Real Herráiz, Julia I.

    2014-01-01

    The principal causes of cracking in prestressed concrete sleepers are the dynamic loads induced by track irregularities and imperfections in the wheel-rail contact and the in-phase and out-of-phase track resonances. The most affected points are the mid-span and rail-seat sections of the sleepers. Central and rail-seat crack detection require visual inspections, as legislation establishes, and involve sleepers' renewal even though European Normative considers that thicknesses up to 0.5 mm do not imply an inadequate behaviour of the sleepers. For a better understanding of the phenomenon, the finite element method constitutes a useful tool to assess the effects of cracking from the point of view of structural behaviour in railway track structures. This paper intends to study how the cracks at central or rail-seat section in prestressed concrete sleepers influence the track behaviour under static loading. The track model considers three different sleeper models: uncracked, cracked at central section, and cracked at rail-seat section. These models were calibrated and validated using the frequencies of vibration of the first three bending modes obtained from an experimental modal analysis. The results show the insignificant influence of the central cracks and the notable effects of the rail-seat cracks regarding deflections and stresses. PMID:25530998

  7. Dynamic fracture and hot-spot modeling in energetic composites

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Grilli, Nicolò; Duarte, Camilo A.; Koslowski, Marisol

    2018-02-01

    Defects such as cracks, pores, and particle-matrix interface debonding affect the sensitivity of energetic materials by reducing the time-to-ignition and the threshold pressure to initiate an explosion. Frictional sliding of preexisting cracks is considered to be one of the most important causes of localized heating. Therefore, understanding the dynamic fracture of crystalline energetic materials is of extreme importance to assess the reliability and safety of polymer-bonded explosives. Phase field damage model simulations, based on the regularization of the crack surface as a diffuse delta function, are used to describe crack propagation in cyclotetramethylene-tetranitramine crystals embedded in a Sylgard matrix. A thermal transport model that includes heat generation by friction at crack interfaces is coupled to the solution of crack propagation. 2D and 3D dynamic compression simulations are performed with different boundary velocities and initial distributions of cracks and interface defects to understand their effect on crack propagation and heat generation. It is found that, at an impact velocity of 400 m/s, localized damage at the particle-binder interface is of key importance and that the sample reaches temperatures high enough to create a hot-spot that will lead to ignition. At an impact velocity of 10 m/s, preexisting cracks advanced inside the particle, but the increase of temperature will not cause ignition.

  8. Fracture of a composite reinforced by unidirectional fibers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hasanov, F. F.

    2014-11-01

    An elastic medium weakened by a periodic system of circular holes filled with homogeneous elastic fibers whose surface is coated with a homogeneous film is considered. A fracture model for a medium with a periodic structure is proposed, which is based on an analysis of the fracture zone near the crack tip. It is assumed that the fracture zone is a layer of finite length containing a material with partially broken bonds between separate structural elements (end zone). The fracture zone is considered as part of the crack. The bonds between crack faces in the end zone are modeled by applying the cohesive forces caused by the presence of bonds to the crack surface. An analysis of the limit equilibrium of shear cracks in the end zone of the model is performed on the basis of a nonlocal fracture criterion together with a force condition for the motion of crack tip and a deformation condition for determining the motion of faces of end-zone cracks. In the analysis, relationships between the cohesive forces and the shear of crack faces are established, the stress state near the crack is assessed with account of external loading, cohesive forces, and fiber arrangement, and the critical external loads as functions of geometric parameters of the composite are determined.

  9. Numerical simulation of stress amplification induced by crack interaction in human femur bone

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Alia, Noor; Daud, Ruslizam; Ramli, Mohammad Fadzli; Azman, Wan Zuki; Faizal, Ahmad; Aisyah, Siti

    2015-05-01

    This research is about numerical simulation using a computational method which study on stress amplification induced by crack interaction in human femur bone. Cracks in human femur bone usually occur because of large load or stress applied on it. Usually, the fracture takes longer time to heal itself. At present, the crack interaction is still not well understood due to bone complexity. Thus, brittle fracture behavior of bone may be underestimated and inaccurate. This study aims to investigate the geometrical effect of double co-planar edge cracks on stress intensity factor (K) in femur bone. This research focuses to analyze the amplification effect on the fracture behavior of double co-planar edge cracks, where numerical model is developed using computational method. The concept of fracture mechanics and finite element method (FEM) are used to solve the interacting cracks problems using linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) theory. As a result, this study has shown the identification of the crack interaction limit (CIL) and crack unification limit (CUL) exist in the human femur bone model developed. In future research, several improvements will be made such as varying the load, applying thickness on the model and also use different theory or method in calculating the stress intensity factor (K).

  10. Crack Path Selection in Thermally Loaded Borosilicate/Steel Bibeam Specimen

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Grutzik, Scott Joseph; Reedy, Jr., E. D.

    Here, we have developed a novel specimen for studying crack paths in glass. Under certain conditions, the specimen reaches a state where the crack must select between multiple paths satisfying the K II = 0 condition. This path selection is a simple but challenging benchmark case for both analytical and numerical methods of predicting crack propagation. We document the development of the specimen, using an uncracked and instrumented test case to study the effect of adhesive choice and validate the accuracy of both a simple beam theory model and a finite element model. In addition, we present preliminary fracture testmore » results and provide a comparison to the path predicted by two numerical methods (mesh restructuring and XFEM). The directional stability of the crack path and differences in kink angle predicted by various crack kinking criteria is analyzed with a finite element model.« less

  11. Crack Path Selection in Thermally Loaded Borosilicate/Steel Bibeam Specimen

    DOE PAGES

    Grutzik, Scott Joseph; Reedy, Jr., E. D.

    2017-08-04

    Here, we have developed a novel specimen for studying crack paths in glass. Under certain conditions, the specimen reaches a state where the crack must select between multiple paths satisfying the K II = 0 condition. This path selection is a simple but challenging benchmark case for both analytical and numerical methods of predicting crack propagation. We document the development of the specimen, using an uncracked and instrumented test case to study the effect of adhesive choice and validate the accuracy of both a simple beam theory model and a finite element model. In addition, we present preliminary fracture testmore » results and provide a comparison to the path predicted by two numerical methods (mesh restructuring and XFEM). The directional stability of the crack path and differences in kink angle predicted by various crack kinking criteria is analyzed with a finite element model.« less

  12. Measurement and Modeling of the Ability of Crack Fillers to Prevent Chloride Ingress into Mortar.

    PubMed

    Jones, Scott Z; Bentz, Dale P; Davis, Jeffrey M; Hussey, Daniel S; Jacobson, David L; Molloy, John L; Sieber, John R

    2017-09-01

    A common repair procedures applied to damaged concrete is to fill cracks with an organic polymer. This operation is performed to increase the service life of the concrete by removing a preferential pathway for the ingress of water, chlorides, and other deleterious species. To effectively fulfill its mission of preventing chloride ingress, the polymer must not only fully fill the macro-crack, but must also intrude the damage zone surrounding the crack perimeter. Here, the performance of two commonly employed crack fillers, one epoxy, and one methacrylate, are investigated using a combined experimental and computer modeling approach. Neutron tomography and microbeam X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (μXRF) measurements are employed on pre-cracked and chloride-exposed specimens to quantify the crack filling and chloride ingress limiting abilities, respectively, of the two polymers. A two-dimensional model of chloride transport is derived from a mass balance and solved by the finite element method. Crack images provided by μXRF are used to generate the input microstructure for the simulations. When chloride binding and a time-dependent mortar diffusivity are both included in the computer model, good agreement with the experimental results is obtained. Both crack fillers significantly reduce chloride ingress during the 21 d period of the present experiments; however, the epoxy itself contains approximately 4 % by mass chlorine. Leaching studies were performed assess the epoxy as a source of deleterious ions for initiating corrosion of the steel reinforcement in concrete structures.

  13. Application of the line-spring model to a cylindrical shell containing a circumferential or axial part-through crack

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Delale, F.; Erdogan, F.

    1982-01-01

    The line-spring model developed by Rice and Levy (1972) is used to obtain an approximate solution for a cylindrical shell containing a part-through surface crack. A Reissner type theory is used to account for the effects of the transverse shear deformations, and the stress intensity factor at the deepest penetration point of the crack is tabulated for bending and membrane loading by varying three-dimensionless length parameters of the problem formed from the shell radius, the shell thickness, the crack length, and the crack depth. The upper bounds of the stress intensity factors are provided, and qualitatively the line-spring model gives the expected results in comparison with elasticity solutions.

  14. Fatigue creep damage at the cement-bone interface: an experimental and a micro-mechanical finite element study

    PubMed Central

    Waanders, Daan; Janssen, Dennis; Miller, Mark A.; Mann, Kenneth A.; Verdonschot, Nico

    2009-01-01

    The goal of this study was to quantify the micromechanics of the cement-bone interface under tensile fatigue loading using finite element analysis (FEA) and to understand the underlying mechanisms that play a role in the fatigue behavior of this interface. Laboratory cement-bone specimens were subjected to a tensile fatigue load, while local displacements and crack growth on the specimen's surface were monitored. FEA models were created from these specimens based upon micro-computed tomography data. To accurately model interfacial gaps at the interface between the bone and cement, a custom-written erosion algorithm was applied to the bone model. A fatigue load was simulated in the FEA models while monitoring the local displacements and crack propagation. The results showed the FEA models were able to capture the general experimental creep damage behavior and creep stages of the interface. Consistent with the experiments, the majority of the deformation took place at the contact interface. Additionally, the FEA models predicted fatigue crack patterns similar to experimental findings. Experimental surface cracks correlated moderately with FEA surface cracks (r2=0.43), but did not correlate with the simulated crack volume fraction (r2=0.06). Although there was no relationship between experimental surface cracks and experimental creep damage displacement (r2=0.07), there was a strong relationship between the FEA crack volume fraction and the FEA creep damage displacement (r2=0.76). This study shows the additional value of FEA of the cement-bone interface relative to experimental studies and can therefore be used to optimize its mechanical properties. PMID:19682690

  15. Development of Predictive Model for bridge deck cracking : final report.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2017-04-01

    Early-age bridge deck cracking has been found to be a prevalent problem worldwide. While early-age : cracking will not cause failure of a bridge deck system independently, the penetration of deleterious substances : through the early-age cracks into ...

  16. Uncertainty quantification methodologies development for stress corrosion cracking of canister welds

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Dingreville, Remi Philippe Michel; Bryan, Charles R.

    2016-09-30

    This letter report presents a probabilistic performance assessment model to evaluate the probability of canister failure (through-wall penetration) by SCC. The model first assesses whether environmental conditions for SCC – the presence of an aqueous film – are present at canister weld locations (where tensile stresses are likely to occur) on the canister surface. Geometry-specific storage system thermal models and weather data sets representative of U.S. spent nuclear fuel (SNF) storage sites are implemented to evaluate location-specific canister surface temperature and relative humidity (RH). As the canister cools and aqueous conditions become possible, the occurrence of corrosion is evaluated. Corrosionmore » is modeled as a two-step process: first, pitting is initiated, and the extent and depth of pitting is a function of the chloride surface load and the environmental conditions (temperature and RH). Second, as corrosion penetration increases, the pit eventually transitions to a SCC crack, with crack initiation becoming more likely with increasing pit depth. Once pits convert to cracks, a crack growth model is implemented. The SCC growth model includes rate dependencies on both temperature and crack tip stress intensity factor, and crack growth only occurs in time steps when aqueous conditions are predicted. The model suggests that SCC is likely to occur over potential SNF interim storage intervals; however, this result is based on many modeling assumptions. Sensitivity analyses provide information on the model assumptions and parameter values that have the greatest impact on predicted storage canister performance, and provide guidance for further research to reduce uncertainties.« less

  17. Grain boundary oxidation and fatigue crack growth at elevated temperatures

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Liu, H. W.; Oshida, Y.

    1986-01-01

    Fatigue crack growth rate at elevated temperatures can be accelerated by grain boundary oxidation. Grain boundary oxidation kinetics and the statistical distribution of grain boundary oxide penetration depth were studied. At a constant delta K-level and at a constant test temperature, fatigue crack growth rate, da/dN, is a function of cyclic frequency, nu. A fatigue crack growth model of intermittent micro-ruptures of grain boundary oxide is constructed. The model is consistent with the experimental observations that, in the low frequency region, da/dN is inversely proportional to nu, and fatigue crack growth is intergranular.

  18. NSTS Orbiter auxiliary power unit turbine wheel cracking risk assessment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cruse, T. A.; Mcclung, R. C.; Torng, T. Y.

    1992-01-01

    The present investigation of turbine-wheel cracking problems in the hydrazine-fueled APU turbine wheel of the Space Shuttle Orbiter's Main Engines has indicated the efficacy of systematic probabilistic risk assessment in flight certification and safety resolution. Nevertheless, real crack-initiation and propagation problems do not lend themselves to purely analytical studies. The high-cycle fatigue problem is noted to generally be unsuited to probabilistic modeling, due to its extremely high degree of intrinsic scatter. In the case treated, the cracks appear to trend toward crack arrest in a low cycle fatigue mode, due to a detuning of the resonance model.

  19. Experimental model of the role of cracks in the mechanism of explosive eruption of St. Helens-80

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kedrinskii, V. K.; Skulkin, A. A.

    2017-07-01

    A unique mini model of explosive volcano eruption through a formed system of cracks is developed. The process of crack formation and development is simulated by electric explosion of a conductor in a plate of optically transparent organic glass submerged into water. The explosion of a wire aligned with a through hole in the plate generates shock-wave loading along the plate and forms cracks. The fundamental role of high velocity flow in crack wedging by a high power hydrodynamic flow of a pulsating explosion cavity has been demonstrated.

  20. Analysis of crack propagation in roller bearings using the boundary integral equation method - A mixed-mode loading problem

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ghosn, L. J.

    1988-01-01

    Crack propagation in a rotating inner raceway of a high-speed roller bearing is analyzed using the boundary integral method. The model consists of an edge plate under plane strain condition upon which varying Hertzian stress fields are superimposed. A multidomain boundary integral equation using quadratic elements was written to determine the stress intensity factors KI and KII at the crack tip for various roller positions. The multidomain formulation allows the two faces of the crack to be modeled in two different subregions, making it possible to analyze crack closure when the roller is positioned on or close to the crack line. KI and KII stress intensity factors along any direction were computed. These calculations permit determination of crack growth direction along which the average KI times the alternating KI is maximum.

  1. The effect of the interaction of cracks in orthotropic layered materials under compressive loading.

    PubMed

    Winiarski, B; Guz, I A

    2008-05-28

    The non-classical problem of fracture mechanics of composites compressed along the layers with interfacial cracks is analysed. The statement of the problem is based on the model of piecewise homogeneous medium, the most accurate within the framework of the mechanics of deformable bodies as applied to composites. The condition of plane strain state is examined. The layers are modelled by a transversally isotropic material (a matrix reinforced by continuous parallel fibres). The frictionless Hertzian contact of the crack faces is considered. The complex fracture mechanics problem is solved using the finite-element analysis. The shear mode of stability loss is studied. The results are obtained for the typical dispositions of cracks. It was found that the interacting crack faces, the crack length and the mutual position of cracks influence the critical strain in the composite.

  2. Fracture analysis of a central crack in a long cylindrical superconductor with exponential model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhao, Yu Feng; Xu, Chi

    2018-05-01

    The fracture behavior of a long cylindrical superconductor is investigated by modeling a central crack that is induced by electromagnetic force. Based on the exponential model, the stress intensity factors (SIFs) with the dimensionless parameter p and the length of the crack a/R for the zero-field cooling (ZFC) and field-cooling (FC) processes are numerically simulated using the finite element method (FEM) and assuming a persistent current flow. As the applied field Ba decreases, the dependence of p and a/R on the SIFs in the ZFC process is exactly opposite to that observed in the FC process. Numerical results indicate that the exponential model exhibits different characteristics for the trend of the SIFs from the results obtained using the Bean and Kim models. This implies that the crack length and the trapped field have significant effects on the fracture behavior of bulk superconductors. The obtained results are useful for understanding the critical-state model of high-temperature superconductors in crack problem.

  3. 78 FR 37160 - Airworthiness Directives; Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation (Sikorsky) Model Helicopters

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-06-20

    ... fold cuff assembly for a crack. If there is a crack, this proposed AD would require replacing the cracked part. If there is no crack, this AD would require applying white paint to the inspection area to enhance the existing inspection procedure. This proposed AD is prompted by the discovery of cracks in the...

  4. Fatigue Life Prediction Based on Crack Closure and Equivalent Initial Flaw Size

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Qiang; Zhang, Wei; Jiang, Shan

    2015-01-01

    Failure analysis and fatigue life prediction are necessary and critical for engineering structural materials. In this paper, a general methodology is proposed to predict fatigue life of smooth and circular-hole specimens, in which the crack closure model and equivalent initial flaw size (EIFS) concept are employed. Different effects of crack closure on small crack growth region and long crack growth region are considered in the proposed method. The EIFS is determined by the fatigue limit and fatigue threshold stress intensity factor △Kth. Fatigue limit is directly obtained from experimental data, and △Kth is calculated by using a back-extrapolation method. Experimental data for smooth and circular-hole specimens in three different alloys (Al2024-T3, Al7075-T6 and Ti-6Al-4V) under multiple stress ratios are used to validate the method. In the validation section, Semi-circular surface crack and quarter-circular corner crack are assumed to be the initial crack shapes for the smooth and circular-hole specimens, respectively. A good agreement is observed between model predictions and experimental data. The detailed analysis and discussion are performed on the proposed model. Some conclusions and future work are given. PMID:28793625

  5. Role of multiple cusps in tooth fracture.

    PubMed

    Barani, Amir; Bush, Mark B; Lawn, Brian R

    2014-07-01

    The role of multiple cusps in the biomechanics of human molar tooth fracture is analysed. A model with four cusps at the bite surface replaces the single dome structure used in previous simulations. Extended finite element modelling, with provision to embed longitudinal cracks into the enamel walls, enables full analysis of crack propagation from initial extension to final failure. The cracks propagate longitudinally around the enamel side walls from starter cracks placed either at the top surface (radial cracks) or from the tooth base (margin cracks). A feature of the crack evolution is its stability, meaning that extension occurs steadily with increasing applied force. Predictions from the model are validated by comparison with experimental data from earlier publications, in which crack development was followed in situ during occlusal loading of extracted human molars. The results show substantial increase in critical forces to produce longitudinal fractures with number of cuspal contacts, indicating a capacity for an individual tooth to spread the load during mastication. It is argued that explicit critical force equations derived in previous studies remain valid, at the least as a means for comparing the capacity for teeth of different dimensions to sustain high bite forces. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Modeling crack growth during Li insertion in storage particles using a fracture phase field approach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Klinsmann, Markus; Rosato, Daniele; Kamlah, Marc; McMeeking, Robert M.

    2016-07-01

    Fracture of storage particles is considered to be one of the major reasons for capacity fade and increasing power loss in many commercial lithium ion batteries. The appearance of fracture and cracks in the particles is commonly ascribed to mechanical stress, which evolves from inhomogeneous swelling and shrinkage of the material when lithium is inserted or extracted. Here, a coupled model of lithium diffusion, mechanical stress and crack growth using a phase field method is applied to investigate how the formation of cracks depends on the size of the particle and the presence or absence of an initial crack, as well as the applied flux at the boundary. The model shows great versatility in that it is free of constraints with respect to particle geometry, dimension or crack path and allows simultaneous observation of the evolution of lithium diffusion and crack growth. In this work, we focus on the insertion process. In particular, we demonstrate the presence of intricate fracture phenomena, such as, crack branching or complete breakage of storage particles within just a single half cycle of lithium insertion, a phenomenon that was only speculated about before.

  7. Nonlinear Response and Residual Strength of Damaged Stiffened Shells Subjected to Combined Loads

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Starnes, James H., Jr.; Britt, Vicki O.; Rose, Cheryl A.; Rankin, Charles C.

    1996-01-01

    The results of an analytical study of the nonlinear response of stiffened fuselage shells with long cracks are presented. The shells are modeled with a hierarchical modeling strategy and analyzed with a nonlinear shell analysis code that maintains the shell in a nonlinear equilibrium state while the crack is grown. The analysis accurately accounts for global and local structural response phenomena. Fuselage skins, frames stringers and failsafe straps are included in the models. Results are presented for various combinations of internal pressure and mechanical bending, vertical shear and torsion loads, and the effects of crack orientation and location on the shell response are described. These results indicate that the nonlinear interaction between the in-plane stress resultants and the out-of-plane displacements near a crack can significantly affect the structural response of the shell, and the stress-intensity factors associated with a crack that are used to predict residual strength. The effects of representative combined loading conditions on the stress-intensity factors associated with a crack are presented. The effects of varying structural parameters on the stress-intensity factors associated with a crack, and on self-similar and non-self-similar crack-growth are also presented.

  8. Residual Strength Analyses of Riveted Lap-Splice Joints

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Seshadri, B. R.; Newman, J. C., Jr.

    2000-01-01

    The objective of this paper was to analyze the crack-linkup behavior in riveted-stiffened lap-splice joint panels with small multiple-site damage (MSD) cracks at several adjacent rivet holes. Analyses are based on the STAGS (STructural Analysis of General Shells) code with the critical crack-tip-opening angle (CTOA) fracture criterion. To account for high constraint around a crack front, the "plane strain core" option in STAGS was used. The importance of modeling rivet flexibility with fastener elements that accurately model load transfer across the joint is discussed. Fastener holes are not modeled but rivet connectivity is accounted for by attaching rivets to the sheet on one side of the cracks that simulated both the rivet diameter and MSD cracks. Residual strength analyses made on 2024-T3 alloy (1.6-mm thick) riveted-lap-splice joints with a lead crack and various size MSD cracks were compared with test data from Boeing Airplane Company. Analyses were conducted for both restrained and unrestrained buckling conditions. Comparison of results from these analyses and results from lap-splice-joint test panels, which were partially restrained against buckling indicate that the test results were bounded by the failure loads predicted by the analyses with restrained and unrestrained conditions.

  9. 75 FR 12667 - Airworthiness Directives; Learjet Inc. Model 45 Airplanes

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-03-17

    ... certain Model 45 airplanes. This AD requires a general visual inspection for cracked and missing ballscrew... sleeve or flap actuator for cracks, and replacement or modification of the flap actuator if necessary. This AD results from reports of cracked and missing ballscrew assembly sleeves of the flap actuators...

  10. Towards a better understanding of the cracking behavior in soils

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Understanding and modeling shrinkage-induced cracks helps bridge the gap between flow problem in the laboratory and at the field. Modeling flow at the field scale with Darcian fluxes developed at the laboratory scales is challenged with preferential flows attributed to the cracking behavior of soils...

  11. A fracture criterion for widespread cracking in thin-sheet aluminum alloys

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Newman, J. C., Jr.; Dawicke, D. S.; Sutton, M. A.; Bigelow, C. A.

    1993-01-01

    An elastic-plastic finite-element analysis was used with a critical crack-tip-opening angle (CTOA) fracture criterion to model stable crack growth in thin-sheet 2024-T3 aluminum alloy panels with single and multiple-site damage (MSD) cracks. Comparisons were made between critical angles determined from the analyses and those measured with photographic methods. Calculated load against crack extension and load against crack-tip displacement on single crack specimens agreed well with test data even for large-scale plastic deformations. The analyses were also able to predict the stable tearing behavior of large lead cracks in the presence of stably tearing MSD cracks. Small MSD cracks significantly reduced the residual strength for large lead cracks.

  12. Investigation of micromixing by acoustically oscillated sharp-edges

    PubMed Central

    Nama, Nitesh; Huang, Po-Hsun; Huang, Tony Jun; Costanzo, Francesco

    2016-01-01

    Recently, acoustically oscillated sharp-edges have been utilized to achieve rapid and homogeneous mixing in microchannels. Here, we present a numerical model to investigate acoustic mixing inside a sharp-edge-based micromixer in the presence of a background flow. We extend our previously reported numerical model to include the mixing phenomena by using perturbation analysis and the Generalized Lagrangian Mean (GLM) theory in conjunction with the convection-diffusion equation. We divide the flow variables into zeroth-order, first-order, and second-order variables. This results in three sets of equations representing the background flow, acoustic response, and the time-averaged streaming flow, respectively. These equations are then solved successively to obtain the mean Lagrangian velocity which is combined with the convection-diffusion equation to predict the concentration profile. We validate our numerical model via a comparison of the numerical results with the experimentally obtained values of the mixing index for different flow rates. Further, we employ our model to study the effect of the applied input power and the background flow on the mixing performance of the sharp-edge-based micromixer. We also suggest potential design changes to the previously reported sharp-edge-based micromixer to improve its performance. Finally, we investigate the generation of a tunable concentration gradient by a linear arrangement of the sharp-edge structures inside the microchannel. PMID:27158292

  13. Investigation of micromixing by acoustically oscillated sharp-edges.

    PubMed

    Nama, Nitesh; Huang, Po-Hsun; Huang, Tony Jun; Costanzo, Francesco

    2016-03-01

    Recently, acoustically oscillated sharp-edges have been utilized to achieve rapid and homogeneous mixing in microchannels. Here, we present a numerical model to investigate acoustic mixing inside a sharp-edge-based micromixer in the presence of a background flow. We extend our previously reported numerical model to include the mixing phenomena by using perturbation analysis and the Generalized Lagrangian Mean (GLM) theory in conjunction with the convection-diffusion equation. We divide the flow variables into zeroth-order, first-order, and second-order variables. This results in three sets of equations representing the background flow, acoustic response, and the time-averaged streaming flow, respectively. These equations are then solved successively to obtain the mean Lagrangian velocity which is combined with the convection-diffusion equation to predict the concentration profile. We validate our numerical model via a comparison of the numerical results with the experimentally obtained values of the mixing index for different flow rates. Further, we employ our model to study the effect of the applied input power and the background flow on the mixing performance of the sharp-edge-based micromixer. We also suggest potential design changes to the previously reported sharp-edge-based micromixer to improve its performance. Finally, we investigate the generation of a tunable concentration gradient by a linear arrangement of the sharp-edge structures inside the microchannel.

  14. Phase-field model for the two-phase lithiation of silicon

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gao, Fangliang; Hong, Wei

    2016-09-01

    As an ideal anode material, silicon has the highest lithium-ion capacity in theory, but the broader application is limited by the huge volumetric strain caused by lithium insertion and extraction. To better understand the physical process and to resolve the related reliability issue, enormous efforts have been made. Recent experiments observed sharp reaction fronts in both crystalline and amorphous silicon during the first lithiation half-cycle. Such a concentration profile indicates that the process is likely to be reaction limited. Based on this postulation, a phase-field model is developed and implemented into a finite-element code to simulate the coupled large inelastic deformation and motion of the reaction front in a silicon electrode. In contrast to most existing models, the model treats both volumetric and deviatoric inelastic deformation in silicon as a direct consequence of the lithiation at the reaction front. The amount of deviatoric deformation is determined by using the recently developed kinetic model of stress-induced anisotropic reaction. By considering the role of stress in the lithiation process, this model successfully recovers the self-limiting phenomenon of silicon electrodes, and relates it to the local geometry of electrodes. The model is also used to evaluate the energy-release rate of the surface crack on a spherical electrode, and the result suggests a critical size of silicon nanoparticles to avert fracture. As examples, the morphology evolution of a silicon disk and a Si nanowire during lithiation are also investigated.

  15. Motion-blur-compensated structural health monitoring system for tunnels at a speed of 100 km/h

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hayakawa, Tomohiko; Ishikawa, Masatoshi

    2017-04-01

    High quality images of tunnel surfaces are necessary for visual judgment of abnormal parts. Hence, we propose a monitoring system from a vehicle, which is motion-blur-compensated by the back and forth motion of a galvanometer mirror to offset the vehicle speed, prolong exposure time, and take sharp images including detailed textures. As experimental result of the vehicle-mounted system, we confirmed significant improvements in image quality for a few millimeter-sized ordered black-and-white stripes and cracks, by means of motion blur compensation and prolonged exposure time, under the maximum speed allowed in Japan in a standard tunnel of a highway.

  16. Fundamental experiments on hydride reorientation in zircaloy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Colas, Kimberly B.

    In the current study, an in-situ X-ray diffraction technique using synchrotron radiation was used to follow directly the kinetics of hydride dissolution and precipitation during thermomechanical cycles. This technique was combined with conventional microscopy (optical, SEM and TEM) to gain an overall understanding of the process of hydride reorientation. Thus this part of the study emphasized the time-dependent nature of the process, studying large volume of hydrides in the material. In addition, a micro-diffraction technique was also used to study the spatial distribution of hydrides near stress concentrations. This part of the study emphasized the spatial variation of hydride characteristics such as strain and morphology. Hydrided samples in the shape of tensile dog-bones were used in the time-dependent part of the study. Compact tension specimens were used during the spatial dependence part of the study. The hydride elastic strains from peak shift and size and strain broadening were studied as a function of time for precipitating hydrides. The hydrides precipitate in a very compressed state of stress, as measured by the shift in lattice spacing. As precipitation proceeds the average shift decreases, indicating average stress is reduced, likely due to plastic deformation and morphology changes. When nucleation ends the hydrides follow the zirconium matrix thermal contraction. When stress is applied below the threshold stress for reorientation, hydrides first nucleate in a very compressed state similar to that of unstressed hydrides. After reducing the average strain similarly to unstressed hydrides, the average hydride strain reaches a constant value during cool-down to room temperature. This could be due to a greater ease of deforming the matrix due to the applied far-field strain which would compensate for the strains due to thermal contraction. Finally when hydrides reorient, the average hydride strains become tensile during the first precipitation regime and remain constant in the tensile direction during the second precipitation regime. This could be due to the fact that the face of reoriented hydride platelet is in compression once these platelets have grown to a sufficient size. The second goal of this study was to perform a spatially resolved study of the effect of a stress concentration such as a notch or a crack on hydride reorientation. Using SEM and image analysis, it was found that a sharp crack induces a different hydride microstructure than a blunt notch. In the case of sharp crack, hydrides are more localized and align more with the defect than for blunt notches. The hydride connectivity also increases close to a stress concentration which will assist in crack propagation during DHC. Using TEM, the microstructure of hydrides grown near crack tips were observed to be similar to that of circumferential hydrides grown in the bulk. The orientation relationship studied with SEM and micro-X-ray diffraction was found to be in most cases δ(111)// α(0002) for hydrides grown both near and far from stress concentrations. Using the same micro-X-ray diffraction technique local hydride and matrix elastic strains were measured and observed to vary significantly from grain to grain. It was however observed that hydrides grown close to the stress concentration are in tension in the face of the platelet, similar to reoriented hydrides, while those grown far from the stress concentration are in tension, similar to circumferential hydrides. The orders of magnitude of the measured strains in the hydrides and the zirconium matrix compared well to those predicted by finite element models. This study shows that it is possible to study hydride dissolution and precipitation in-situ using time-dependent techniques. It was found that the precipitation temperature is lowered by hydride reorientation. The evolution of hydride strains during precipitation was found to be different for unstressed, stressed and reoriented hydrides. The reoriented hydride fraction and connectivity increase with number of cycles which could lead to more dangerous microstructure for storage of spent fuel. Pre-existing cracks were also found to affect hydride connectivity and morphology which directly impacts DHC and fuel integrity. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).

  17. The Recycling and Reclamation of Used Tank Track Pins

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1985-08-01

    dislocation models that show crack formation as the accumu- lation of defects and subsequent loss of coherency across a slip plane; and, models based on...specifications, thus removing any damage that has occurred. The success of this project is based on the ability of the reheat treatment to eliminate the...develop into cracks 8 . The general models of fatigue crack nucleation have been grouped into five main categories which are: models which consider the

  18. Molecular dynamics simulation of propagating cracks

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mullins, M.

    1982-01-01

    Steady state crack propagation is investigated numerically using a model consisting of 236 free atoms in two (010) planes of bcc alpha iron. The continuum region is modeled using the finite element method with 175 nodes and 288 elements. The model shows clear (010) plane fracture to the edge of the discrete region at moderate loads. Analysis of the results obtained indicates that models of this type can provide realistic simulation of steady state crack propagation.

  19. Role of Slip Mode on Stress Corrosion Cracking Behavior

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vasudevan, A. K.; Sadananda, K.

    2011-02-01

    In this article, we examine the effect of aging treatment and the role of planarity of slip on stress corrosion cracking (SCC) behavior in precipitation-hardened alloys. With aging, the slip mode can change from a planar slip in the underage (UA) to a wavy slip in the overage (OA) region. This, in turn, results in sharpening the crack tip in the UA compared to blunting in the OA condition. We propose that the planar slip enhances the stress concentration effects by making the alloys more susceptible to SCC. In addition, the planarity of slip enhances plateau velocities, reduces thresholds for SCC, and reduces component life. We show that the effect of slip planarity is somewhat similar to the effects of mechanically induced stress concentrations such as due to the presence of sharp notches. Aging treatment also causes variations in the matrix and grain boundary (GB) microstructures, along with typical mechanical and SCC properties. These properties include yield stress, work hardening rate, fracture toughness K IC , thresholds K Iscc, and steady-state plateau velocity ( da/ dt). The SCC data for a wide range of ductile alloys including 7050, 7075, 5083, 5456 Al, MAR M steels, and solid solution copper-base alloys are collected from the literature. Our assertion is that slip mode and the resulting stress concentration are important factors in SCC behavior. This is further supported by similar observations in many other systems including some steels, Al alloys, and Cu alloys.

  20. Brittle fracture in structural steels: perspectives at different size-scales.

    PubMed

    Knott, John

    2015-03-28

    This paper describes characteristics of transgranular cleavage fracture in structural steel, viewed at different size-scales. Initially, consideration is given to structures and the service duty to which they are exposed at the macroscale, highlighting failure by plastic collapse and failure by brittle fracture. This is followed by sections describing the use of fracture mechanics and materials testing in carrying-out assessments of structural integrity. Attention then focuses on the microscale, explaining how values of the local fracture stress in notched bars or of fracture toughness in pre-cracked test-pieces are related to features of the microstructure: carbide thicknesses in wrought material; the sizes of oxide/silicate inclusions in weld metals. Effects of a microstructure that is 'heterogeneous' at the mesoscale are treated briefly, with respect to the extraction of test-pieces from thick sections and to extrapolations of data to low failure probabilities. The values of local fracture stress may be used to infer a local 'work-of-fracture' that is found experimentally to be a few times greater than that of two free surfaces. Reasons for this are discussed in the conclusion section on nano-scale events. It is suggested that, ahead of a sharp crack, it is necessary to increase the compliance by a cooperative movement of atoms (involving extra work) to allow the crack-tip bond to displace sufficiently for the energy of attraction between the atoms to reduce to zero. © 2015 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

  1. Sex-for-Crack exchanges: associations with risky sexual and drug use niches in an urban Canadian city

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background While crack cocaine has been associated with elevated sexual risks and transmission of HIV/STIs, particularly in the context of street-based sex work, few empirical studies have examined correlates of direct sex-for-crack exchanges. This study longitudinally examined the correlates of sex-for-crack exchanges and associated effects on sexual risk outcomes among street-based female sex workers (SW) who use drugs in Vancouver, Canada. Methods Data were drawn from a prospective cohort of street-based SWs (2006–2008), restricted to those who smoke crack cocaine. Multivariable generalized estimating equations (GEE) were employed to examine the correlates of exchanging sex for crack. A confounding model using GEE quasi-Poisson regression modeled the independent effect of exchanging sex for crack on number of clients/week. Results Of 206 SWs, 101 (49%) reported sex-for-crack exchanges over 18 months of follow-up. In multivariable GEE analyses, sharing a crack pipe with a client (aOR = 1.98; 95%CI: 1.27-3.08) and smoking crack in a group of strangers (e.g., in an alley or crackhouse) (aOR = 1.70; 95% CI: 1.13-2.58) were independently correlated with sex-for-crack exchanges. In our confounding model, exchanging sex for crack (aIRR = 1.34; 95% CI: 1.07-1.69) remained significantly associated with servicing a greater number (>10) of clients/week. Conclusions These findings reveal elevated sexual- and drug- risk patterns among those who exchange sex for crack. The physical and social environment featured prominently in our results as a driver of sex-for-crack exchanges, highlighting the need for gender-sensitive multilevel approaches to harm reduction, STI and HIV prevention that address SWs’ environment, individual level factors, and the interplay between them. PMID:24238367

  2. Cracked rocks with positive and negative Poisson's ratio: real-crack properties extracted from pressure dependence of elastic-wave velocities

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zaitsev, Vladimir Y.; Radostin, Andrey V.; Dyskin, Arcady V.; Pasternak, Elena

    2017-04-01

    We report results of analysis of literature data on P- and S-wave velocities of rocks subjected to variable hydrostatic pressure. Out of about 90 examined samples, in more than 40% of the samples the reconstructed Poisson's ratios are negative for lowest confining pressure with gradual transition to the conventional positive values at higher pressure. The portion of rocks exhibiting negative Poisson's ratio appeared to be unexpectedly high. To understand the mechanism of negative Poisson's ratio, pressure dependences of P- and S-wave velocities were analyzed using the effective medium model in which the reduction in the elastic moduli due to cracks is described in terms of compliances with respect to shear and normal loading that are imparted to the rock by the presence of cracks. This is in contrast to widely used descriptions of effective cracked medium based on a specific crack model (e.g., penny-shape crack) in which the ratio between normal and shear compliances of such a crack is strictly predetermined. The analysis of pressure-dependences of the elastic wave velocities makes it possible to reveal the ratio between pure normal and shear compliances (called q-ratio below) for real defects and quantify their integral content in the rock. The examination performed demonstrates that a significant portion (over 50%) of cracks exhibit q-ratio several times higher than that assumed for the conventional penny-shape cracks. This leads to faster reduction of the Poisson's ratio with increasing the crack concentration. Samples with negative Poisson's ratio are characterized by elevated q-ratio and simultaneously crack concentration. Our results clearly indicate that the traditional crack model is not adequate for a significant portion of rocks and that the interaction between the opposite crack faces leading to domination of the normal compliance and reduced shear displacement discontinuity can play an important role in the mechanical behavior of rocks.

  3. Fatigue crack propagation behavior of stainless steel welds

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kusko, Chad S.

    The fatigue crack propagation behavior of austenitic and duplex stainless steel base and weld metals has been investigated using various fatigue crack growth test procedures, ferrite measurement techniques, light optical microscopy, stereomicroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and optical profilometry. The compliance offset method has been incorporated to measure crack closure during testing in order to determine a stress ratio at which such closure is overcome. Based on this method, an empirically determined stress ratio of 0.60 has been shown to be very successful in overcoming crack closure for all da/dN for gas metal arc and laser welds. This empirically-determined stress ratio of 0.60 has been applied to testing of stainless steel base metal and weld metal to understand the influence of microstructure. Regarding the base metal investigation, for 316L and AL6XN base metals, grain size and grain plus twin size have been shown to influence resulting crack growth behavior. The cyclic plastic zone size model has been applied to accurately model crack growth behavior for austenitic stainless steels when the average grain plus twin size is considered. Additionally, the effect of the tortuous crack paths observed for the larger grain size base metals can be explained by a literature model for crack deflection. Constant Delta K testing has been used to characterize the crack growth behavior across various regions of the gas metal arc and laser welds at the empirically determined stress ratio of 0.60. Despite an extensive range of stainless steel weld metal FN and delta-ferrite morphologies, neither delta-ferrite morphology significantly influence the room temperature crack growth behavior. However, variations in weld metal da/dN can be explained by local surface roughness resulting from large columnar grains and tortuous crack paths in the weld metal.

  4. Analysis and prediction of Multiple-Site Damage (MSD) fatigue crack growth

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dawicke, D. S.; Newman, J. C., Jr.

    1992-01-01

    A technique was developed to calculate the stress intensity factor for multiple interacting cracks. The analysis was verified through comparison with accepted methods of calculating stress intensity factors. The technique was incorporated into a fatigue crack growth prediction model and used to predict the fatigue crack growth life for multiple-site damage (MSD). The analysis was verified through comparison with experiments conducted on uniaxially loaded flat panels with multiple cracks. Configuration with nearly equal and unequal crack distribution were examined. The fatigue crack growth predictions agreed within 20 percent of the experimental lives for all crack configurations considered.

  5. A risk assessment method for multi-site damage

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Millwater, Harry Russell, Jr.

    This research focused on developing probabilistic methods suitable for computing small probabilities of failure, e.g., 10sp{-6}, of structures subject to multi-site damage (MSD). MSD is defined as the simultaneous development of fatigue cracks at multiple sites in the same structural element such that the fatigue cracks may coalesce to form one large crack. MSD is modeled as an array of collinear cracks with random initial crack lengths with the centers of the initial cracks spaced uniformly apart. The data used was chosen to be representative of aluminum structures. The structure is considered failed whenever any two adjacent cracks link up. A fatigue computer model is developed that can accurately and efficiently grow a collinear array of arbitrary length cracks from initial size until failure. An algorithm is developed to compute the stress intensity factors of all cracks considering all interaction effects. The probability of failure of two to 100 cracks is studied. Lower bounds on the probability of failure are developed based upon the probability of the largest crack exceeding a critical crack size. The critical crack size is based on the initial crack size that will grow across the ligament when the neighboring crack has zero length. The probability is evaluated using extreme value theory. An upper bound is based on the probability of the maximum sum of initial cracks being greater than a critical crack size. A weakest link sampling approach is developed that can accurately and efficiently compute small probabilities of failure. This methodology is based on predicting the weakest link, i.e., the two cracks to link up first, for a realization of initial crack sizes, and computing the cycles-to-failure using these two cracks. Criteria to determine the weakest link are discussed. Probability results using the weakest link sampling method are compared to Monte Carlo-based benchmark results. The results indicate that very small probabilities can be computed accurately in a few minutes using a Hewlett-Packard workstation.

  6. Bi-material plane with interface crack for the model of semi-linear material

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Domanskaya, T. O.; Malkov, V. M.; Malkova, Yu. V.

    2018-05-01

    The singular plane problems of nonlinear elasticity (plane strain and plane stress) are considered for bi-material infinite plane with interface crack. The plane is formed of two half-planes. Mechanical properties of half-planes are described by the model of semi-linear material. Using model of this harmonic material has allowed to apply the theory of complex functions and to obtain exact analytical global solutions of some nonlinear problems. Among them the problem of bi-material plane with the stresses and strains jumps at an interface is considered. As an application of the problem of jumps, the problem of interface crack is solved. The values of nominal (Piola) and Cauchy stresses and displacements are founded. Based on the global solutions the asymptotic expansions are constructed for stresses and displacements in a vicinity of crack tip. As an example the case of a free crack in bi-material plane subjected to constant stresses at infinity is studied. As a special case, the analytical solution of the problem of a crack in a homogeneous plane is obtained from the problem for bi-material plane with interface crack.

  7. Assessment of crack opening area for leak rates

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Sharples, J.K.; Bouchard, P.J.

    1997-04-01

    This paper outlines the background to recommended crack opening area solutions given in a proposed revision to leak before break guidance for the R6 procedure. Comparisons with experimental and analytical results are given for some selected cases of circumferential cracks in cylinders. It is shown that elastic models can provide satisfactory estimations of crack opening displacement (and area) but they become increasingly conservative for values of L{sub r} greater than approximately 0.4. The Dugdale small scale yielding model gives conservative estimates of crack opening displacement with increasing enhancement for L{sub r} values greater than 0.4. Further validation of the elastic-plasticmore » reference stress method for up to L{sub r} values of about 1.0 is presented by experimental and analytical comparisons. Although a more detailed method, its application gives a best estimate of crack opening displacement which may be substantially greater than small scale plasticity models. It is also shown that the local boundary conditions in pipework need to be carefully considered when evaluating crack opening area for through-wall bending stresses resulting from welding residual stresses or geometry discontinuities.« less

  8. Detection, discrimination, and real-time tracking of cracks in rotating disks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Haase, Wayne C.; Drumm, Michael J.

    2002-06-01

    The purpose of this effort was to develop a system* to detect, discriminate and track fatigue cracks in rotating disks. Aimed primarily at jet engines in flight applications, the system also has value for detecting cracks in a spin pit during low cycle fatigue testing, and for monitoring the health of steam turbines and land-based gas turbine engines for maintenance purposes. The results of this effort produced: a physics-based model that describes the change in the center of mass of a rotating disk using damping ratio, initial unbalance and crack size as parameters; the development of a data acquisition and analysis system that can detect and discriminate a crack using a single cycle of data; and initial validation of the model through testing in a spin pit. The development of the physics-based model also pointed to the most likely regimes for crack detection; identified specific powers of (omega) search for in specific regimes; dictated a particular type of data acquisition for crack discrimination; and demonstrated a need for a higher signal-to-noise ratio in the measurement of the basic vibration signal.

  9. A Three-Stage Mechanistic Model for Solidification Cracking During Welding of Steel

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aucott, L.; Huang, D.; Dong, H. B.; Wen, S. W.; Marsden, J.; Rack, A.; Cocks, A. C. F.

    2018-03-01

    A three-stage mechanistic model for solidification cracking during TIG welding of steel is proposed from in situ synchrotron X-ray imaging of solidification cracking and subsequent analysis of fracture surfaces. Stage 1—Nucleation of inter-granular hot cracks: cracks nucleate inter-granularly in sub-surface where maximum volumetric strain is localized and volume fraction of liquid is less than 0.1; the crack nuclei occur at solute-enriched liquid pockets which remain trapped in increasingly impermeable semi-solid skeleton. Stage 2—Coalescence of cracks via inter-granular fracture: as the applied strain increases, cracks coalesce through inter-granular fracture; the coalescence path is preferential to the direction of the heat source and propagates through the grain boundaries to solidifying dendrites. Stage 3—Propagation through inter-dendritic hot tearing: inter-dendritic hot tearing occurs along the boundaries between solidifying columnar dendrites with higher liquid fraction. It is recommended that future solidification cracking criterion shall be based on the application of multiphase mechanics and fracture mechanics to the failure of semi-solid materials.

  10. Fatigue-Life Prediction Methodology Using Small-Crack Theory

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Newmann, James C., Jr.; Phillips, Edward P.; Swain, M. H.

    1997-01-01

    This paper reviews the capabilities of a plasticity-induced crack-closure model to predict fatigue lives of metallic materials using 'small-crack theory' for various materials and loading conditions. Crack-tip constraint factors, to account for three-dimensional state-of-stress effects, were selected to correlate large-crack growth rate data as a function of the effective-stress-intensity factor range (delta K(eff)) under constant-amplitude loading. Some modifications to the delta k(eff)-rate relations were needed in the near-threshold regime to fit measured small-crack growth rate behavior and fatigue endurance limits. The model was then used to calculate small- and large-crack growth rates, and to predict total fatigue lives, for notched and un-notched specimens made of two aluminum alloys and a steel under constant-amplitude and spectrum loading. Fatigue lives were calculated using the crack-growth relations and microstructural features like those that initiated cracks for the aluminum alloys and steel for edge-notched specimens. An equivalent-initial-flaw-size concept was used to calculate fatigue lives in other cases. Results from the tests and analyses agreed well.

  11. Environment enhanced fatigue crack propagation in metals: Inputs to fracture mechanics life prediction models

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gangloff, Richard P.; Kim, Sang-Shik

    1993-01-01

    This report is a critical review of both environment-enhanced fatigue crack propagation data and the predictive capabilities of crack growth rate models. This information provides the necessary foundation for incorporating environmental effects in NASA FLAGRO and will better enable predictions of aerospace component fatigue lives. The review presents extensive literature data on 'stress corrosion cracking and corrosion fatigue.' The linear elastic fracture mechanics approach, based on stress intensity range (Delta(K)) similitude with microscopic crack propagation threshold and growth rates, provides a basis for these data. Results are presented showing enhanced growth rates for gases (viz., H2 and H2O) and electrolytes (e.g. NaCl and H2O) in aerospace alloys including: C-Mn and heat treated alloy steels, aluminum alloys, nickel-based superalloys, and titanium alloys. Environment causes purely time-dependent accelerated fatigue crack growth above the monotonic load cracking threshold (KIEAC) and promotes cycle-time dependent cracking below (KIEAC). These phenomenon are discussed in terms of hydrogen embrittlement, dissolution, and film rupture crack tip damage mechanisms.

  12. Simulation model of fatigue crack opening/closing phenomena for predicting RPG load under arbitrary stress distribution field

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Toyosada, M.; Niwa, T.

    1995-12-31

    In this paper, Newman`s calculation model is modified to solve his neglected effect of the change of stress distribution ahead of a crack, and to leave elastic plastic materials along the crack surface because of the compatibility of Dugdale model. In addition to above treatment, the authors introduce plastic shrinkage at an immediate generation of new crack surfaces due to emancipation of internal force with the magnitude of yield stress level during unloading process in the model. Moreover, the model is expanded to arbitrary stress distribution field. By using the model, RPG load is simulated for a center notched specimenmore » under constant amplitude loading with various stress ratios and decreased maximum load while keeping minimum load.« less

  13. Desiccation of a Sessile Drop of Blood: Cracks Formation and Delamination

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sobac, Benjamin; Brutin, David

    2011-11-01

    The evaporation of drops of biological fluids has been studied since few years du to several applications in medical fields such as medical tests, drug screening, biostabilization... The evaporation of a drop of whole blood leads to the formation of final typical pattern of cracks. Flow motion, adhesion, gelation and fracturation all occur during the evaporation of this complex matter. During the drying, a sol-gel transition develops. The drying kinetics is explained by a simple model of evaporation taking account of the evolution of the gelation front. The system solidifies and when stresses are too important, cracks nucleate. The cracks formation and the structure of the crack pattern are investigated. The initial crack spacing is found in good agreement with the implementation in open geometry of the model of cracks formation induced by evaporation proposed by Allain and Limat. Finally, the drop is still drying after the end of the formation of cracks which leads, like in the situation of colloid suspensions, to the observation of a delamination phenomenon.

  14. Torsional vibration of a cracked rod by variational formulation and numerical analysis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chondros, T. G.; Labeas, G. N.

    2007-04-01

    The torsional vibration of a circumferentially cracked cylindrical shaft is studied through an "exact" analytical solution and a numerical finite element (FE) analysis. The Hu-Washizu-Barr variational formulation is used to develop the differential equation and the boundary conditions of the cracked rod. The equations of motion for a uniform cracked rod in torsional vibration are derived and solved, and the Rayleigh quotient is used to further approximate the natural frequencies of the cracked rod. Results for the problem of the torsional vibration of a cylindrical shaft with a peripheral crack are provided through an analytical solution based on variational formulation to derive the equation of motion and a numerical analysis utilizing a parametric three-dimensional (3D) solid FE model of the cracked rod. The crack is modelled as a continuous flexibility based on fracture mechanics principles. The variational formulation results are compared with the FE alternative. The sensitivity of the FE discretization with respect to the analytical results is assessed.

  15. The application of Newman crack-closure model to predicting fatigue crack growth

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Si, Erjian

    1994-09-01

    Newman crack-closure model and the relevant crack growth program were applied to the analysis of crack growth under constant amplitude and aircraft spectrum loading on a number of aluminum alloy materials. The analysis was performed for available test data of 2219-T851, 2024-T3, 2024-T351, 7075-T651, 2324-T39, and 7150-T651 aluminum materials. The results showed that the constraint factor is a significant factor in the method. The determination of the constraint factor is discussed. For constant amplitude loading, satisfactory crack growth lives could be predicted. For the above aluminum specimens, the ratio of predicted to experimental lives, Np/Nt, ranged from 0.74 to 1.36. The mean value of Np/Nt was 0.97. For a specified complex spectrum loading, predicted crack growth lives are not in very good agreement with the test data. Further effort is needed to correctly simulate the transition between plane strain and plane stress conditions, existing near the crack tip.

  16. Transverse cracking and stiffness reduction in composite laminates

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Yuan, F. G.; Selek, M. C.

    1993-01-01

    A study of transverse cracking mechanism in composite laminates is presented using a singular hybrid finite element model. The model provides the global structural response as well as the precise local crack-tip stress fields. An elasticity basis for the problem is established by employing Lekhnitskii's complex variable potentials and method of eigenfunction expansion. Stress singularities associated with the transverse crack are obtained by decomposing the deformation into the symmetric and antisymmetric modes and proper boundary conditions. A singular hybrid element is thereby formulated based on the variational principle of a modified hybrid functional to incorporate local crack singularities. Axial stiffness reduction due to transverse cracking is studied. The results are shown to be in very good agreement with the existing experimental data. Comparison with simple shear lag analysis is also given. The effects of stress intensity factors and strain energy density on the increase of crack density are analyzed. The results reveal that the parameters approach definite limits when crack densities are saturated, an evidence of the existence of characteristic damage state.

  17. Characterization of Pore Defects and Fatigue Cracks in Die Cast AM60 Using 3D X-ray Computed Tomography

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yang, Zhuofei; Kang, Jidong; Wilkinson, David S.

    2015-08-01

    AM60 high pressure die castings have been used in automobile applications to reduce the weight of vehicles. However, the pore defects that are inherent in die casting may negatively affect mechanical properties, especially the fatigue properties. Here we have studied damage ( e.g., pore defects, fatigue cracks) during strained-controlled fatigue using 3-dimensional X-ray computed tomography (XCT). The fatigue test was interrupted every 2000 cycles and the specimen was removed to be scanned using a desktop micro-CT system. XCT reveals pore defects, cracks, and fracture surfaces. The results show that pores can be accurately measured and modeled in 3D. Defect bands are found to be made of pores under 50 µm (based on volume-equivalent sphere diameter). Larger pores are randomly distributed in the region between the defect bands. Observation of fatigue cracks by XCT is performed in three ways such that the 3D model gives the best illustration of crack-porosity interaction while the other two methods, with the cracks being viewed on transverse or longitudinal cross sections, have better detectability on crack initiation and crack tip observation. XCT is also of value in failure analysis on fracture surfaces. By assessing XCT data during fatigue testing and observing fracture surfaces on a 3D model, a better understanding on the crack initiation, crack-porosity interaction, and the morphology of fracture surface is achieved.

  18. Lattice Modeling of Early-Age Behavior of Structural Concrete.

    PubMed

    Pan, Yaming; Prado, Armando; Porras, Rocío; Hafez, Omar M; Bolander, John E

    2017-02-25

    The susceptibility of structural concrete to early-age cracking depends on material composition, methods of processing, structural boundary conditions, and a variety of environmental factors. Computational modeling offers a means for identifying primary factors and strategies for reducing cracking potential. Herein, lattice models are shown to be adept at simulating the thermal-hygral-mechanical phenomena that influence early-age cracking. In particular, this paper presents a lattice-based approach that utilizes a model of cementitious materials hydration to control the development of concrete properties, including stiffness, strength, and creep resistance. The approach is validated and used to simulate early-age cracking in concrete bridge decks. Structural configuration plays a key role in determining the magnitude and distribution of stresses caused by volume instabilities of the concrete material. Under restrained conditions, both thermal and hygral effects are found to be primary contributors to cracking potential.

  19. Lattice Modeling of Early-Age Behavior of Structural Concrete

    PubMed Central

    Pan, Yaming; Prado, Armando; Porras, Rocío; Hafez, Omar M.; Bolander, John E.

    2017-01-01

    The susceptibility of structural concrete to early-age cracking depends on material composition, methods of processing, structural boundary conditions, and a variety of environmental factors. Computational modeling offers a means for identifying primary factors and strategies for reducing cracking potential. Herein, lattice models are shown to be adept at simulating the thermal-hygral-mechanical phenomena that influence early-age cracking. In particular, this paper presents a lattice-based approach that utilizes a model of cementitious materials hydration to control the development of concrete properties, including stiffness, strength, and creep resistance. The approach is validated and used to simulate early-age cracking in concrete bridge decks. Structural configuration plays a key role in determining the magnitude and distribution of stresses caused by volume instabilities of the concrete material. Under restrained conditions, both thermal and hygral effects are found to be primary contributors to cracking potential. PMID:28772590

  20. Analyses of Fatigue and Fatigue-Crack Growth under Constant- and Variable-Amplitude Loading

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Newman, J. C., Jr.

    1999-01-01

    Studies on the growth of small cracks have led to the observation that fatigue life of many engineering materials is primarily crack growth from micro-structural features, such as inclusion particles, voids, slip-bands or from manufacturing defects. This paper reviews the capabilities of a plasticity-induced crack-closure model to predict fatigue lives of metallic materials using small-crack theory under various loading conditions. Constraint factors, to account for three-dimensional effects, were selected to correlate large-crack growth rate data as a function of the effective stress-intensity factor range (delta K(sub eff)) under constant-amplitude loading. Modifications to the delta K(sub eff)-rate relations in the near-threshold regime were needed to fit measured small-crack growth rate behavior. The model was then used to calculate small- and large-crack growth rates, and to predict total fatigue lives, for notched and un-notched specimens under constant-amplitude and spectrum loading. Fatigue lives were predicted using crack-growth relations and micro-structural features like those that initiated cracks in the fatigue specimens for most of the materials analyzed. Results from the tests and analyses agreed well.

  1. Fatigue life prediction modeling for turbine hot section materials

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Halford, G. R.; Meyer, T. G.; Nelson, R. S.; Nissley, D. M.; Swanson, G. A.

    1989-01-01

    A major objective of the fatigue and fracture efforts under the NASA Hot Section Technology (HOST) program was to significantly improve the analytic life prediction tools used by the aeronautical gas turbine engine industry. This was achieved in the areas of high-temperature thermal and mechanical fatigue of bare and coated high-temperature superalloys. The cyclic crack initiation and propagation resistance of nominally isotropic polycrystalline and highly anisotropic single crystal alloys were addressed. Life prediction modeling efforts were devoted to creep-fatigue interaction, oxidation, coatings interactions, multiaxiality of stress-strain states, mean stress effects, cumulative damage, and thermomechanical fatigue. The fatigue crack initiation life models developed to date include the Cyclic Damage Accumulation (CDA) and the Total Strain Version of Strainrange Partitioning (TS-SRP) for nominally isotropic materials, and the Tensile Hysteretic Energy Model for anisotropic superalloys. A fatigue model is being developed based upon the concepts of Path-Independent Integrals (PII) for describing cyclic crack growth under complex nonlinear response at the crack tip due to thermomechanical loading conditions. A micromechanistic oxidation crack extension model was derived. The models are described and discussed.

  2. Fatigue life prediction modeling for turbine hot section materials

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Halford, G. R.; Meyer, T. G.; Nelson, R. S.; Nissley, D. M.; Swanson, G. A.

    1988-01-01

    A major objective of the fatigue and fracture efforts under the Hot Section Technology (HOST) program was to significantly improve the analytic life prediction tools used by the aeronautical gas turbine engine industry. This was achieved in the areas of high-temperature thermal and mechanical fatigue of bare and coated high-temperature superalloys. The cyclic crack initiation and propagation resistance of nominally isotropic polycrystalline and highly anisotropic single crystal alloys were addressed. Life prediction modeling efforts were devoted to creep-fatigue interaction, oxidation, coatings interactions, multiaxiality of stress-strain states, mean stress effects, cumulative damage, and thermomechanical fatigue. The fatigue crack initiation life models developed to date include the Cyclic Damage Accumulation (CDA) and the Total Strain Version of Strainrange Partitioning (TS-SRP) for nominally isotropic materials, and the Tensile Hysteretic Energy Model for anisotropic superalloys. A fatigue model is being developed based upon the concepts of Path-Independent Integrals (PII) for describing cyclic crack growth under complex nonlinear response at the crack tip due to thermomechanical loading conditions. A micromechanistic oxidation crack extension model was derived. The models are described and discussed.

  3. Stress-intensity factors for circumferential surface cracks in pipes and rods under tension and bending loads

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Raju, I. S.; Newman, J. C., Jr.

    1985-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to present stress-intensity factors for a wide range of nearly semi-elliptical surface cracks in pipes and rods. The configurations were subjected to either remote tension or bending loads. For pipes, the ratio of crack depth to crack length (a/c) ranged from 0.6 to 1; the ratio of crack depth to wall thickness (a/t) ranged from 0.2 to 0.8; and the ratio of internal radius to wall thickness (R/t) ranged from 1 to 10. For rods, the ratio of crack depth to crack length also ranged from 0.6 to 1; and the ratio of crack depth to rod diameter (a/D) ranged from 0.05 to 0.35. These particular crack configurations were chosen to cover the range of crack shapes (a/c) that have been observed in experiments conducted on pipes and rods under tension and bending fatigue loads. The stress-intensity factors were calculated by a three-dimensional finite-element method. The finite-element models employed singularity elements along the crack front and linear-strain elements elsewhere. The models had about 6500 degrees of freedom. The stress-intensity factors were evaluated using a nodal-force method.

  4. Fatigue reliability of deck structures subjected to correlated crack growth

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Feng, G. Q.; Garbatov, Y.; Guedes Soares, C.

    2013-12-01

    The objective of this work is to analyse fatigue reliability of deck structures subjected to correlated crack growth. The stress intensity factors of the correlated cracks are obtained by finite element analysis and based on which the geometry correction functions are derived. The Monte Carlo simulations are applied to predict the statistical descriptors of correlated cracks based on the Paris-Erdogan equation. A probabilistic model of crack growth as a function of time is used to analyse the fatigue reliability of deck structures accounting for the crack propagation correlation. A deck structure is modelled as a series system of stiffened panels, where a stiffened panel is regarded as a parallel system composed of plates and are longitudinal. It has been proven that the method developed here can be conveniently applied to perform the fatigue reliability assessment of structures subjected to correlated crack growth.

  5. Effect of propellant deformation on ignition and combustion processes in solid propellant cracks

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kumar, M.; Kuo, K. K.

    1980-01-01

    A comprehensive theoretical model was formulated to study the development of convective burning in a solid propellant crack which continually deforms due to burning and pressure loading. In the theoretical model, the effect of interrelated structural deformation and combustion processes was taken into account by considering (1) transient, one dimensional mass, momentum, and energy conservation equations in the gas phase; (2) a transient, one dimensional heat conduction equation in the solid phase; and (3) quasi-static deformation of the two dimensional, linear viscoelastic propellant crack caused by pressure loading. Partial closures may generate substantial local pressure peaks along the crack, implying a strong coupling between chamber pressurization, crack combustion, and propellant deformation, especially when the cracks are narrow and the chamber pressurization rates high. The maximum pressure in the crack cavity is generally higher than that in the chamber. The initial flame-spreading process is not affected by propellant deformation.

  6. Numerical modeling of nonlinear modulation of coda wave interferometry in a multiple scattering medium with the presence of a localized micro-cracked zone

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Guangzhi; Pageot, Damien; Legland, Jean-Baptiste; Abraham, Odile; Chekroun, Mathieu; Tournat, Vincent

    2018-04-01

    The spectral element method is used to perform a parametric sensitivity study of the nonlinear coda wave interferometry (NCWI) method in a homogeneous sample with localized damage [1]. The influence of a strong pump wave on a localized nonlinear damage zone is modeled as modifications to the elastic properties of an effective damage zone (EDZ), depending on the pump wave amplitude. The local change of the elastic modulus and the attenuation coefficient have been shown to vary linearly with respect to the excitation amplitude of the pump wave as in previous experimental studies of Zhang et al. [2]. In this study, the boundary conditions of the cracks, i.e. clapping effects is taken into account in the modeling of the damaged zone. The EDZ is then modeled with random cracks of random orientations, new parametric studies are established to model the pump wave influence with two new parameters: the change of the crack length and the crack density. The numerical results reported constitute another step towards quantification and forecasting of the nonlinear acoustic response of a cracked material, which proves to be necessary for quantitative non-destructive evaluation.

  7. Thermo-mechanical simulations of early-age concrete cracking with durability predictions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Havlásek, Petr; Šmilauer, Vít; Hájková, Karolina; Baquerizo, Luis

    2017-09-01

    Concrete performance is strongly affected by mix design, thermal boundary conditions, its evolving mechanical properties, and internal/external restraints with consequences to possible cracking with impaired durability. Thermo-mechanical simulations are able to capture those relevant phenomena and boundary conditions for predicting temperature, strains, stresses or cracking in reinforced concrete structures. In this paper, we propose a weakly coupled thermo-mechanical model for early age concrete with an affinity-based hydration model for thermal part, taking into account concrete mix design, cement type and thermal boundary conditions. The mechanical part uses B3/B4 model for concrete creep and shrinkage with isotropic damage model for cracking, able to predict a crack width. All models have been implemented in an open-source OOFEM software package. Validations of thermo-mechanical simulations will be presented on several massive concrete structures, showing excellent temperature predictions. Likewise, strain validation demonstrates good predictions on a restrained reinforced concrete wall and concrete beam. Durability predictions stem from induction time of reinforcement corrosion, caused by carbonation and/or chloride ingress influenced by crack width. Reinforcement corrosion in concrete struts of a bridge will serve for validation.

  8. Finite element model study of the effect of corner rounding on detectability of corner cracks using bolt hole eddy current

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Underhill, P. R.; Krause, T. W.

    2017-02-01

    Recent work has shown that the detectability of corner cracks in bolt-holes is compromised when rounding of corners arises, as might occur during bolt-hole removal. Probability of Detection (POD) studies normally require a large number of samples of both fatigue cracks and electric discharge machined notches. In the particular instance of rounding of bolt-hole corners the generation of such a large set of samples representing the full spectrum of potential rounding would be prohibitive. In this paper, the application of Finite Element Method (FEM) modeling is used to supplement the study of detection of cracks forming at the rounded corners of bolt-holes. FEM models show that rounding of the corner of the bolt-hole reduces the size of the response to a corner crack to a greater extent than can be accounted for by loss of crack area. This reduced sensitivity can be ascribed to a lower concentration of eddy currents at the rounded corner surface and greater lift-off of pick-up coils relative to that of a straight-edge corner. A rounding with a radius of 0.4 mm (.016 inch) showed a 20% reduction in the strength of the crack signal. Assuming linearity of the crack signal with crack size, this would suggest an increase in the minimum detectable size by 25%.

  9. Finite element simulation of crack depth measurements in concrete using diffuse ultrasound

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Seher, Matthias; Kim, Jin-Yeon; Jacobs, Laurence J.

    2012-05-01

    This research simulates the measurements of crack depth in concrete using diffuse ultrasound. The finite element method is employed to simulate the ultrasonic diffusion process around cracks with different geometrical shapes, with the goal of gaining physical insight into the data obtained from experimental measurements. The commercial finite element software Ansys is used to implement the two-dimensional concrete model. The model is validated with an analytical solution and experimental results. It is found from the simulation results that preliminary knowledge of the crack geometry is required to interpret the energy evolution curves from measurements and to correctly determine the crack depth.

  10. Time-dependent corrosion fatique crack propagation in 7000 series aluminum alloys. M.S. Thesis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mason, Mark E.

    1995-01-01

    The goal of this research is to characterize environmentally assisted subcritical crack growth for the susceptible short-longitudinal orientation of aluminum alloy 7075-T651, immersed in acidified and inhibited NaCl solution. This work is necessary in order to provide a basis for incorporating environmental effects into fatigue crack propagation life prediction codes such as NASA-FLAGRO (NASGRO). This effort concentrates on determining relevant inputs to a superposition model in order to more accurately model environmental fatigue crack propagation.

  11. Micro-mechanics of hydro-mechanical coupled processes during hydraulic fracturing in sandstone

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Caulk, R.; Tomac, I.

    2017-12-01

    This contribution presents micro-mechanical study of hydraulic fracture initiation and propagation in sandstone. The Discrete Element Method (DEM) Yade software is used as a tool to model fully coupled hydro-mechanical behavior of the saturated sandstone under pressures typical for deep geo-reservoirs. Heterogeneity of sandstone strength tensile and shear parameters are introduced using statistical representation of cathodoluminiscence (CL) sandstone rock images. Weibull distribution of statistical parameter values was determined as a best match of the CL scans of sandstone grains and cement between grains. Results of hydraulic fracturing stimulation from the well bore indicate significant difference between models with the bond strengths informed from CL scans and uniform homogeneous representation of sandstone parameters. Micro-mechanical insight reveals formed hydraulic fracture typical for mode I or tensile cracking in both cases. However, the shear micro-cracks are abundant in the CL informed model while they are absent in the standard model with uniform strength distribution. Most of the mode II cracks, or shear micro-cracks, are not part of the main hydraulic fracture and occur in the near-tip and near-fracture areas. The position and occurrence of the shear micro-cracks is characterized as secondary effect which dissipates the hydraulic fracturing energy. Additionally, the shear micro-crack locations qualitatively resemble acoustic emission cloud of shear cracks frequently observed in hydraulic fracturing, and sometimes interpreted as re-activation of existing fractures. Clearly, our model does not contain pre-existing cracks and has continuous nature prior to fracturing. This observation is novel and interesting and is quantified in the paper. The shear particle contact forces field reveals significant relaxation compared to the model with uniform strength distribution.

  12. Electromagnetomechanical elastodynamic model for Lamb wave damage quantification in composites

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Borkowski, Luke; Chattopadhyay, Aditi

    2014-03-01

    Physics-based wave propagation computational models play a key role in structural health monitoring (SHM) and the development of improved damage quantification methodologies. Guided waves (GWs), such as Lamb waves, provide the capability to monitor large plate-like aerospace structures with limited actuators and sensors and are sensitive to small scale damage; however due to the complex nature of GWs, accurate and efficient computation tools are necessary to investigate the mechanisms responsible for dispersion, coupling, and interaction with damage. In this paper, the local interaction simulation approach (LISA) coupled with the sharp interface model (SIM) solution methodology is used to solve the fully coupled electro-magneto-mechanical elastodynamic equations for the piezoelectric and piezomagnetic actuation and sensing of GWs in fiber reinforced composite material systems. The final framework provides the full three-dimensional displacement as well as electrical and magnetic potential fields for arbitrary plate and transducer geometries and excitation waveform and frequency. The model is validated experimentally and proven computationally efficient for a laminated composite plate. Studies are performed with surface bonded piezoelectric and embedded piezomagnetic sensors to gain insight into the physics of experimental techniques used for SHM. The symmetric collocation of piezoelectric actuators is modeled to demonstrate mode suppression in laminated composites for the purpose of damage detection. The effect of delamination and damage (i.e., matrix cracking) on the GW propagation is demonstrated and quantified. The developed model provides a valuable tool for the improvement of SHM techniques due to its proven accuracy and computational efficiency.

  13. Modelling the Effect of Fruit Growth on Surface Conductance to Water Vapour Diffusion

    PubMed Central

    GIBERT, CAROLINE; LESCOURRET, FRANÇOISE; GÉNARD, MICHEL; VERCAMBRE, GILLES; PÉREZ PASTOR, ALEJANDRO

    2005-01-01

    • Background and Aims A model of fruit surface conductance to water vapour diffusion driven by fruit growth is proposed. It computes the total fruit conductance by integrating each of its components: stomata, cuticle and cracks. • Methods The stomatal conductance is computed from the stomatal density per fruit and the specific stomatal conductance. The cuticular component is equal to the proportion of cuticle per fruit multiplied by its specific conductance. Cracks are assumed to be generated when pulp expansion rate exceeds cuticle expansion rate. A constant percentage of cracks is assumed to heal each day. The proportion of cracks to total fruit surface area multiplied by the specific crack conductance accounts for the crack component. The model was applied to peach fruit (Prunus persica) and its parameters were estimated from field experiments with various crop load and irrigation regimes. • Key Results The predictions were in good agreement with the experimental measurements and for the different conditions (irrigation and crop load). Total fruit surface conductance decreased during early growth as stomatal density, and hence the contribution of the stomatal conductance, decreased from 80 to 20 % with fruit expansion. Cracks were generated for fruits exhibiting high growth rates during late growth and the crack component could account for up to 60 % of the total conductance during the rapid fruit growth. The cuticular contribution was slightly variable (around 20 %). Sensitivity analysis revealed that simulated conductance was highly affected by stomatal parameters during the early period of growth and by both crack and stomatal parameters during the late period. Large fruit growth rate leads to earlier and greater increase of conductance due to higher crack occurrence. Conversely, low fruit growth rate accounts for a delayed and lower increase of conductance. • Conclusions By predicting crack occurrence during fruit growth, this model could be helpful in managing cropping practices for integrated plant protection. PMID:15655107

  14. Edge Sharpness Assessment by Parametric Modeling: Application to Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

    PubMed

    Ahmad, R; Ding, Y; Simonetti, O P

    2015-05-01

    In biomedical imaging, edge sharpness is an important yet often overlooked image quality metric. In this work, a semi-automatic method to quantify edge sharpness in the presence of significant noise is presented with application to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The method is based on parametric modeling of image edges. First, an edge map is automatically generated and one or more edges-of-interest (EOI) are manually selected using graphical user interface. Multiple exclusion criteria are then enforced to eliminate edge pixels that are potentially not suitable for sharpness assessment. Second, at each pixel of the EOI, an image intensity profile is read along a small line segment that runs locally normal to the EOI. Third, the profiles corresponding to all EOI pixels are individually fitted with a sigmoid function characterized by four parameters, including one that represents edge sharpness. Last, the distribution of the sharpness parameter is used to quantify edge sharpness. For validation, the method is applied to simulated data as well as MRI data from both phantom imaging and cine imaging experiments. This method allows for fast, quantitative evaluation of edge sharpness even in images with poor signal-to-noise ratio. Although the utility of this method is demonstrated for MRI, it can be adapted for other medical imaging applications.

  15. A crack-like rupture model for the 19 September 1985 Michoacan, Mexico, earthquake

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ruppert, Stanley D.; Yomogida, Kiyoshi

    1992-09-01

    Evidence supporting a smooth crack-like rupture process of the Michoacan earthquake of 1985 is obtained from a major earthquake for the first time. Digital strong motion data from three stations (Caleta de Campos, La Villita, and La Union), recording near-field radiation from the fault, show unusually simple ramped displacements and permanent offsets previously only seen in theoretical models. The recording of low frequency (0 to 1 Hz) near-field waves together with the apparently smooth rupture favors a crack-like model to a step or Haskell-type dislocation model under the constraint of the slip distribution obtained by previous studies. A crack-like rupture, characterized by an approximated dynamic slip function and systematic decrease in slip duration away from the point of rupture nucleation, produces the best fit to the simple ramped displacements observed. Spatially varying rupture duration controls several important aspects of the synthetic seismograms, including the variation in displacement rise times between components of motion observed at Caleta de Campos. Ground motion observed at Caleta de Campos can be explained remarkably well with a smoothly propagating crack model. However, data from La Villita and La Union suggest a more complex rupture process than the simple crack-like model for the south-eastern portion of the fault.

  16. Study on seepage characteristics of inclined wall dam after heavy drought

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wei, YE; Fuheng, MA

    2018-05-01

    For seepage of the dam slope with cracks after drought, there are two methods to study including the physical model test and numerical calculation. However, the physical model test can not visualize the seepage field in the dam body intuitively, and the mathematical model is not accurate because of the precision of the parameter. So in this paper, combined physical model with mathematical model, the surface crack development on the dam slope and the changes of pore water pressure were studied through the physical model test, and then numerical calculation was carried out to analyze the internal seepage of the dam body. The results showed that cracks were more likely to develop at middle of the upstream dam slope and dam heel, and cracks for different degrees appeared at different parts of the dam slope after drought. The development of cracks provided a preferential permeable channel which caused that the area near the crack was easily to become saturated. The saturated zone kept expanding leading the infiltration line to be close to the transition layer and the infiltration line was no longer a smooth curve. There were seepage damages and landslide hazards existing with such seepage characteristics, which would threaten the safety of the dam.

  17. Damage properties simulations of self-healing composites.

    PubMed

    Chen, Cheng; Ji, Hongwei; Wang, Huaiwen

    2013-10-01

    Self-healing materials are inspired by biological systems in which damage triggers an autonomic healing response. The damage properties of a self-healing polymer composite were investigated by numerical simulation in this paper. Unit cell models with single-edge centered crack and single-edge off-centered crack were employed to investigate the damage initiation and crack evolution by the extended finite element method (XFEM) modeling. The effect of microcapsule's Young's modulus on composites was investigated. Result indicates the microcapsule's Young's modulus has little effect on the unit cell's carrying capacity. It was found that during the crack propagation process, its direction is attracted toward the microcapsules, which makes it helpful for the microcapsules to be ruptured by the propagating crack fronts resulting in release of the healing agent into the cracks by capillary action.

  18. Improvements on FEA with a two-step simulation of experimental procedures in turbine blade crack detection in sonic IR NDE

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Ding; Han, Xiaoyan; Newaz, Golam; Favro, Lawrence D.; Thomas, Robert L.

    2013-01-01

    We showed our work on modeling turbine blade crack detection in Sonic Infrared (IR) Imaging with a method of creating flat crack surface in finite element analysis (FEA) in last year's QNDE paper. This modeling has been carried out continuously as part of model-assisted study on crack detection in aircraft engine turbine blades. We have presented that Sonic IR Imaging NDE is a viable method to detect defects in various structures. It combines ultrasound excitation for frictional heating in defects and infrared imaging to sense this heating, and thus to identify the defects. It is a fast wide-area imaging technology. It only takes a second to image a large area of a target sample. When an aircraft is in flight, the turbine engine blades operate under high temperature and high cyclic stresses. Thus, fatigue cracks can form after many hours of operation. Sonic IR Imaging can be used to detect such cracks. However, we still need to better understand contributions of parameters/factors in the crack detection process with Sonic IR Imaging. FEA modeling can help us to reveal certain aspects through the data it produces where experimental work cannot achieve. Upon the model we presented last year, a two-step simulation process was designed to simulate the important aspects in our experiments. These include a newly designed model for the ultrasound transducer which delivers mechanical energy to the sample and the implementation of static force while engaging the transducer to the sample. In this paper, we present the ideas and the results from the new model.

  19. A total life prediction model for stress concentration sites

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hartman, G. A.; Dawicke, D. S.

    1983-01-01

    Fatigue crack growth tests were performed on center crack panels and radial crack hole samples. The data were reduced and correlated with the elastic parameter K taking into account finite width and corner crack corrections. The anomalous behavior normally associated with short cracks was not observed. Total life estimates for notches were made by coupling an initiation life estimate with a propagation life estimate.

  20. A total life prediction model for stress concentration sites

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hartman, G. A.; Dawicke, D. S.

    1983-01-01

    Fatigue crack growth tests were performed on center crack panels and radial crack hole samples. The data were reduced and correlated with the elastic parameter-K taking into account finite width and corner crack corrections. The anomalous behavior normally associated with short cracks was not observed. Total life estimates for notches were made by coupling an initiation life estimate with a propagation life estimate.

  1. Control of serpentinisation rate by reaction-induced cracking

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Malvoisin, Benjamin; Brantut, Nicolas; Kaczmarek, Mary-Alix

    2017-10-01

    Serpentinisation of mantle rocks requires the generation and maintenance of transport pathways for water. The solid volume increase during serpentinisation can lead to stress build-up and trigger cracking, which ease fluid penetration into the rock. The quantitative effect of this reaction-induced cracking mechanism on reactive surface generation is poorly constrained, thus hampering our ability to predict serpentinisation rate in geological environments. Here we use a combined approach with numerical modelling and observations in natural samples to provide estimates of serpentinisation rate at mid-ocean ridges. We develop a micromechanical model to quantify the propagation of serpentinisation-induced cracks in olivine. The maximum crystallisation pressure deduced from thermodynamic calculations reaches several hundreds of megapascals but does not necessary lead to crack propagation if the olivine grain is subjected to high compressive stresses. The micromechanical model is then coupled to a simple geometrical model to predict reactive surface area formation during grain splitting, and thus bulk reaction rate. Our model reproduces quantitatively experimental kinetic data and the typical mesh texture formed during serpentinisation. We also compare the model results with olivine grain size distribution data obtained on natural serpentinised peridotites from the Marum ophiolite and the Papuan ultramafic belt (Papua New Guinea). The natural serpentinised peridotites show an increase of the number of olivine grains for a decrease of the mean grain size by one order of magnitude as reaction progresses from 5 to 40%. These results are in agreement with our model predictions, suggesting that reaction-induced cracking controls the serpentinisation rate. We use our model to estimate that, at mid-ocean ridges, serpentinisation occurs up to 12 km depth and reaction-induced cracking reduces the characteristic time of serpentinisation by one order of magnitude, down to values comprised between 10 and 1000 yr. The increase of effective pressure with depth also prevents cracking, which positions the peak in serpentinisation rate at shallower depths, 4 km above previous predictions.

  2. A Geometric Approach to Modeling Microstructurally Small Fatigue Crack Formation. 2; Simulation and Prediction of Crack Nucleation in AA 7075-T651

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hochhalter, Jake D.; Littlewood, David J.; Christ, Robert J., Jr.; Veilleux, M. G.; Bozek, J. E.; Ingraffea, A. R.; Maniatty, Antionette M.

    2010-01-01

    The objective of this paper is to develop further a framework for computationally modeling microstructurally small fatigue crack growth in AA 7075-T651 [1]. The focus is on the nucleation event, when a crack extends from within a second-phase particle into a surrounding grain, since this has been observed to be an initiating mechanism for fatigue crack growth in this alloy. It is hypothesized that nucleation can be predicted by computing a non-local nucleation metric near the crack front. The hypothesis is tested by employing a combination of experimentation and nite element modeling in which various slip-based and energy-based nucleation metrics are tested for validity, where each metric is derived from a continuum crystal plasticity formulation. To investigate each metric, a non-local procedure is developed for the calculation of nucleation metrics in the neighborhood of a crack front. Initially, an idealized baseline model consisting of a single grain containing a semi-ellipsoidal surface particle is studied to investigate the dependence of each nucleation metric on lattice orientation, number of load cycles, and non-local regularization method. This is followed by a comparison of experimental observations and computational results for microstructural models constructed by replicating the observed microstructural geometry near second-phase particles in fatigue specimens. It is found that orientation strongly influences the direction of slip localization and, as a result, in uences the nucleation mechanism. Also, the baseline models, replication models, and past experimental observation consistently suggest that a set of particular grain orientations is most likely to nucleate fatigue cracks. It is found that a continuum crystal plasticity model and a non-local nucleation metric can be used to predict the nucleation event in AA 7075-T651. However, nucleation metric threshold values that correspond to various nucleation governing mechanisms must be calibrated.

  3. Comninou contact zones for a crack parallel to an interface

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Joseph, P.F.; Gadi, K.S.; Erdogen, F.

    One of the interesting features in studying the state of stress in elastic solids near singular points, is the so called complex singularity that gives rise to an apparent local oscillatory behavior in the stress and displacement fields. The region in which this occurs is very small, much smaller than any plastic zone would be, and therefore the oscillations can be ignored in practical applications. Nevertheless, it is a matter of interesting theoretical investigation. The Comninou model of a small contact zone near the crack tip appears to correct for this anomaly within the framework of the linear theory. Thismore » model seems to make sense out of a {open_quotes}solution{close_quotes} that violates the boundary conditions. Erdogan and Joseph, showed (to themselves anyway) that the Comninou model actually has a physical basis. They considered a crack parallel to an interface where the order of the singularity is always real. With great care in solving the singular integral equations, it was shown that as the crack approaches the interface, a pinching effect is observed at the crack tip. This pinching effect proves that in the limit as the crack approaches the interface, the correct way to handle the problem is to consider crack surface contact. In this way, the issue of {open_quotes}oscillations{close_quotes} is never encountered for the interface crack problem. In the present study, the value of h/a that corresponds to crack closure (zero value of the stress intensity factor) will be determined for a given material pair for tensile loading. An asymptotic numerical method for the solution of singular integral equations making use of is used to obtain this result. Results for the crack opening displacement near the tip of the crack and the behavior of the stress intensity factor for cracks very close to the interface are presented. Among other interesting issues to be discussed, this solution shows that the semi-infinite crack parallel to an interface is closed.« less

  4. Stress-intensity factor calculations using the boundary force method

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tan, P. W.; Raju, I. S.; Newman, J. C., Jr.

    1987-01-01

    The Boundary Force Method (BFM) was formulated for the three fundamental problems of elasticity: the stress boundary value problem, the displacement boundary value problem, and the mixed boundary value problem. Because the BFM is a form of an indirect boundary element method, only the boundaries of the region of interest are modeled. The elasticity solution for the stress distribution due to concentrated forces and a moment applied at an arbitrary point in a cracked infinite plate is used as the fundamental solution. Thus, unlike other boundary element methods, here the crack face need not be modeled as part of the boundary. The formulation of the BFM is described and the accuracy of the method is established by analyzing a center-cracked specimen subjected to mixed boundary conditions and a three-hole cracked configuration subjected to traction boundary conditions. The results obtained are in good agreement with accepted numerical solutions. The method is then used to generate stress-intensity solutions for two common cracked configurations: an edge crack emanating from a semi-elliptical notch, and an edge crack emanating from a V-notch. The BFM is a versatile technique that can be used to obtain very accurate stress intensity factors for complex crack configurations subjected to stress, displacement, or mixed boundary conditions. The method requires a minimal amount of modeling effort.

  5. Fatigue Crack Growth and Crack Bridging in SCS-6/Ti-24-11

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ghosn, Louis J.; Kantzos, Pete; Telesman, Jack

    1995-01-01

    Interfacial damage induced by relative fiber/matrix sliding was found to occur in the bridged zone of unidirectional SCS-6/Ti-24Al-11Nb intermetallic matrix composite specimens subjected to fatigue crack growth conditions. The degree of interfacial damage was not uniform along the bridged crack wake. Higher damage zones were observed near the machined notch in comparison to the crack tip. The interfacial friction shear strength tau(sub f) measured in the crack wake using pushout testing revealed lower values than the as-received interface. Interfacial wear also reduced the strength of the bridging fibers. The reduction in fiber strength is thought to be a function of the magnitude of relative fiber/matrix displacements ind the degree of interfacial damage. Furthermore, two different fiber bridging models were used to predict the influence of bridging on the fatigue crack driving force. The shear lag model required a variable tau(sub f) in the crack wake (reflecting the degradation of the interface) before its predictions agreed with trends exhibited by the experimental data. The fiber pressure model did an excellent job in predicting both the FCG data and the DeltaCOD in the bridged zone even though it does not require a knowledge of tau(sub f).

  6. Development of a relationship between external measurements and reinforcement stress

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Brault, Andre; Hoult, Neil A.; Lees, Janet M.

    2015-03-01

    As many countries around the world face an aging infrastructure crisis, there is an increasing need to develop more accurate monitoring and assessment techniques for reinforced concrete structures. One of the challenges associated with assessing existing infrastructure is correlating externally measured parameters such as crack widths and surface strains with reinforcement stresses as this is dependent on a number of variables. The current research investigates how the use of distributed fiber optic sensors to measure reinforcement strain can be correlated with digital image correlation measurements of crack widths to relate external crack width measurements to reinforcement stresses. An initial set of experiments was undertaken involving a series of small-scale beam specimens tested in three-point bending with variable reinforcement properties. Relationships between crack widths and internal reinforcement strains were observed including that both the diameter and number of bars affected the measured maximum strain and crack width. A model that uses measured crack width to estimate reinforcement strain was presented and compared to the experimental results. The model was found to provide accurate estimates of load carrying capacity for a given crack width, however, the model was potentially less accurate when crack widths were used to estimate the experimental reinforcement strains. The need for more experimental data to validate the conclusions of this research was also highlighted.

  7. Regulated fracture in tooth enamel: a nanotechnological strategy from nature.

    PubMed

    Ghadimi, Elnaz; Eimar, Hazem; Song, Jun; Marelli, Benedetto; Ciobanu, Ovidiu; Abdallah, Mohamed-Nur; Stähli, Christoph; Nazhat, Showan N; Vali, Hojatollah; Tamimi, Faleh

    2014-07-18

    Tooth enamel is a very brittle material; however it has the ability to sustain cracks without suffering catastrophic failure throughout the lifetime of mechanical function. We propose that the nanostructure of enamel can play a significant role in defining its unique mechanical properties. Accordingly we analyzed the nanostructure and chemical composition of a group of teeth, and correlated it with the crack resistance of the same teeth. Here we show how the dimensions of apatite nanocrystals in enamel can affect its resistance to crack propagation. We conclude that the aspect ratio of apatite nanocrystals in enamel determines its resistance to crack propagation. According to this finding, we proposed a new model based on the Hall-Petch theory that accurately predicts crack propagation in enamel. Our new biomechanical model of enamel is the first model that can successfully explain the observed variations in the behavior of crack propagation of tooth enamel among different humans. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Velocity mode transition of dynamic crack propagation in hyperviscoelastic materials: A continuum model study

    PubMed Central

    Kubo, Atsushi; Umeno, Yoshitaka

    2017-01-01

    Experiments of crack propagation in rubbers have shown that a discontinuous jump of crack propagation velocity can occur as energy release rate increases, which is known as the “mode transition” phenomenon. Although it is believed that the mode transition is strongly related to the mechanical properties, the nature of the mode transition had not been revealed. In this study, dynamic crack propagation on an elastomer was investigated using the finite element method (FEM) with a hyperviscoelastic material model. A series of pure shear test was carried out numerically with FEM simulations and crack velocities were measured under various values of tensile strain. As a result, our FEM simulations successfully reproduced the mode transition. The success of realising the mode transition phenomenon by a simple FEM model, which was achieved for the first time ever, helped to explain that the phenomenon occurs owing to a characteristic non-monotonic temporal development of principal stress near the crack tip. PMID:28186205

  9. Velocity mode transition of dynamic crack propagation in hyperviscoelastic materials: A continuum model study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kubo, Atsushi; Umeno, Yoshitaka

    2017-02-01

    Experiments of crack propagation in rubbers have shown that a discontinuous jump of crack propagation velocity can occur as energy release rate increases, which is known as the “mode transition” phenomenon. Although it is believed that the mode transition is strongly related to the mechanical properties, the nature of the mode transition had not been revealed. In this study, dynamic crack propagation on an elastomer was investigated using the finite element method (FEM) with a hyperviscoelastic material model. A series of pure shear test was carried out numerically with FEM simulations and crack velocities were measured under various values of tensile strain. As a result, our FEM simulations successfully reproduced the mode transition. The success of realising the mode transition phenomenon by a simple FEM model, which was achieved for the first time ever, helped to explain that the phenomenon occurs owing to a characteristic non-monotonic temporal development of principal stress near the crack tip.

  10. Velocity mode transition of dynamic crack propagation in hyperviscoelastic materials: A continuum model study.

    PubMed

    Kubo, Atsushi; Umeno, Yoshitaka

    2017-02-10

    Experiments of crack propagation in rubbers have shown that a discontinuous jump of crack propagation velocity can occur as energy release rate increases, which is known as the "mode transition" phenomenon. Although it is believed that the mode transition is strongly related to the mechanical properties, the nature of the mode transition had not been revealed. In this study, dynamic crack propagation on an elastomer was investigated using the finite element method (FEM) with a hyperviscoelastic material model. A series of pure shear test was carried out numerically with FEM simulations and crack velocities were measured under various values of tensile strain. As a result, our FEM simulations successfully reproduced the mode transition. The success of realising the mode transition phenomenon by a simple FEM model, which was achieved for the first time ever, helped to explain that the phenomenon occurs owing to a characteristic non-monotonic temporal development of principal stress near the crack tip.

  11. Internal state variable approach for predicting stiffness reductions in fibrous laminated composites with matrix cracks

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lee, Jong-Won; Allen, D. H.; Harris, C. E.

    1989-01-01

    A mathematical model utilizing the internal state variable concept is proposed for predicting the upper bound of the reduced axial stiffnesses in cross-ply laminates with matrix cracks. The axial crack opening displacement is explicitly expressed in terms of the observable axial strain and the undamaged material properties. A crack parameter representing the effect of matrix cracks on the observable axial Young's modulus is calculated for glass/epoxy and graphite/epoxy material systems. The results show that the matrix crack opening displacement and the effective Young's modulus depend not on the crack length, but on its ratio to the crack spacing.

  12. Axial crack propagation and arrest in pressurized fuselage

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kosai, M.; Shimamoto, A.; Yu, C.-T.; Walker, S. I.; Kobayashi, A. S.; Tan, P.

    1994-01-01

    The crack arrest capability of a tear strap in a pressurized precracked fuselage was studied through instrumented axial rupture tests of small scale models of an idealized fuselage. Upon pressurization, rapid crack propagation initiated at an axial through crack along the stringer and immediately kinked due to the mixed modes 1 and 2 state caused by the one-sided opening of the crack flap. The diagonally running crack further turned at the tear straps. Dynamic finite element analysis of the rupturing cylinder showed that the crack kinked and also ran straight in the presence of a mixed mode state according to a modified two-parameter crack kinking criterion.

  13. A study on the influence of microstructure on small fatigue cracks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Castelluccio, Gustavo M.

    In spite of its significance in industrial applications, the prediction of the influence of microstructure on the early stages of crack formation and growth in engineering alloys remains underdeveloped. The formation and early growth of fatigue cracks in the high cycle fatigue regime lasts for much of the fatigue life, and it is strongly influenced by microstructural features such as grain size, twins and morphological and crystallographic texture. However, most fatigue models do not predict the in uence of the microstructure on early stages of crack formation, or they employ parameters that should be calibrated with experimental data from specimens with microstructures of interest. These post facto strategies are adequate to characterize materials, but they are not fully appropriate to aid in the design of fatigue-resistant engineering alloys. This thesis considers finite element computational models that explicitly render the microstructure of selected FCC metallic systems and introduces a fatigue methodology that estimates transgranular and intergranular fatigue growth for microstructurally small cracks. The driving forces for both failure modes are assessed by means of fatigue indicators, which are used along with life correlations to estimate the fatigue life. Furthermore, cracks with meandering paths are modeled by considering crack growth on a grain-by-grain basis with a damage model embedded analytically to account for stress and strain redistribution as the cracks extend. The methodology is implemented using a crystal plasticity constitutive model calibrated for studying the effect of microstructure on early fatigue life of a powder processed Ni-base RR1000 superalloy at elevated temperature under high cycle fatigue conditions. This alloy is employed for aircraft turbine engine disks, which undergo a thermomechanical production process to produce a controlled bimodal grain size distribution. The prediction of the fatigue life for this complex microstructure presents particular challenges that are discussed and addressed. The conclusions of this work describe the mechanistic of microstructural small crack. In particular, the fatigue crack growth driving force has been characterized as it evolves within grains and crosses to other grains. Furthermore, the computational models serve as a tool to assess the effects of microstructural features on early stages of fatigue crack formation and growth, such as distributions of grain size and twins.

  14. Separation of crack extension modes in orthotropic delamination models

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Beuth, Jack L.

    1995-01-01

    In the analysis of an interface crack between dissimilar elastic materials, the mode of crack extension is typically not unique, due to oscillatory behavior of near-tip stresses and displacements. This behavior currently limits the applicability of interfacial fracture mechanics as a means to predict composite delamination. The Virtual Crack Closure Technique (VCCT) is a method used to extract mode 1 and mode 2 energy release rates from numerical fracture solutions. The mode of crack extension extracted from an oscillatory solution using the VCCT is not unique due to the dependence of mode on the virtual crack extension length, Delta. In this work, a method is presented for using the VCCT to extract Delta-independent crack extension modes for the case of an interface crack between two in-plane orthotropic materials. The method does not involve altering the analysis to eliminate its oscillatory behavior. Instead, it is argued that physically reasonable, Delta-independent modes of crack extension can be extracted from oscillatory solutions. Knowledge of near-tip fields is used to determine the explicit Delta dependence of energy release rate parameters. Energy release rates are then defined that are separated from the oscillatory dependence on Delta. A modified VCCT using these energy release rate definitions is applied to results from finite element analyses, showing that Delta-independent modes of crack extension result. The modified technique has potential as a consistent method for extracting crack extension modes from numerical solutions. The Delta-independent modes extracted using this technique can also serve as guides for testing the convergence of finite element models. Direct applications of this work include the analysis of planar composite delamination problems, where plies or debonded laminates are modeled as in-plane orthotropic materials.

  15. Hydrogen Embrittlement

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Woods, Stephen; Lee, Jonathan A.

    2016-01-01

    Hydrogen embrittlement (HE) is a process resulting in a decrease in the fracture toughness or ductility of a metal due to the presence of atomic hydrogen. In addition to pure hydrogen gas as a direct source for the absorption of atomic hydrogen, the damaging effect can manifest itself from other hydrogen-containing gas species such as hydrogen sulfide (H2S), hydrogen chloride (HCl), and hydrogen bromide (HBr) environments. It has been known that H2S environment may result in a much more severe condition of embrittlement than pure hydrogen gas (H2) for certain types of alloys at similar conditions of stress and gas pressure. The reduction of fracture loads can occur at levels well below the yield strength of the material. Hydrogen embrittlement is usually manifest in terms of singular sharp cracks, in contrast to the extensive branching observed for stress corrosion cracking. The initial crack openings and the local deformation associated with crack propagation may be so small that they are difficult to detect except in special nondestructive examinations. Cracks due to HE can grow rapidly with little macroscopic evidence of mechanical deformation in materials that are normally quite ductile. This Technical Memorandum presents a comprehensive review of experimental data for the effects of gaseous Hydrogen Environment Embrittlement (HEE) for several types of metallic materials. Common material screening methods are used to rate the hydrogen degradation of mechanical properties that occur while the material is under an applied stress and exposed to gaseous hydrogen as compared to air or helium, under slow strain rates (SSR) testing. Due to the simplicity and accelerated nature of these tests, the results expressed in terms of HEE index are not intended to necessarily represent true hydrogen service environment for long-term exposure, but rather to provide a practical approach for material screening, which is a useful concept to qualitatively evaluate the severity of hydrogen embrittlement. The effects of hydrogen gas on mechanical properties such as tensile strength, ductility, fracture, low and high cycle fatigue, crack growth rate, and creep rupture are analyzed with respect to the general trends established from the HEE index values. It is observed that the severity of HE effects is also influenced by environmental factors such as pressure, temperature, and hydrogen gas purity. The severity of HE effects is also influenced by material factors such as surface finish, heat treatment, and product forms, compositions, grain direction, and crystal orientations.

  16. Quantitative Investigations of Polygonal Ground in Continental Antarctica: Terrestrial Analogues for Polygons on Mars

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sassenroth, Cynthia; Hauber, Ernst; Schmitz, Nicole; de Vera, Jean Pierre

    2017-04-01

    Polygonally fractured ground is widespread at middle and high latitudes on Mars. The latitude-dependence and the morphologic similarity to terrestrial patterned ground in permafrost regions may indicate a formation as thermal contraction cracks, but the exact formation mechanisms are still unclear. In particular, it is debated whether freeze-thaw processes and liquid water are required to generate the observed features. This study quantitatively investigates polygonal networks in ice-free parts of continental Antarctica to help distinguishing between different hypotheses of their origin on Mars. The study site is located in the Helliwell Hills in Northern Victoria Land ( 71.73°S/161.38°E) and was visited in the framework of the GANOVEX XI expedition during the austral summer of 2015/2016. The local bedrock consists mostly of sediments (sandstones) of the Beacon Supergroup and mafic igneous intrusions (Ferrar Dolerites). The surfaces are covered by glacial drift consisting of clasts with diverse lithologies. Thermal contraction cracks are ubiquitous. We mapped polygons in the northern part of Helliwell Hills in a GIS environment on the basis of high-resolution satellite images with a pixel size of 50 cm. The measured spatial parameters include polygon area, perimeter, length, width, circularity and aspect. We also analyzed the connectivity of enclosed polygons within a polygon network. The polygons do not display significant local relief, but overall the polygon centers are slightly higher than the bounding cracks (i.e. high-center polygons). Sizes of polygons can vary widely, dependent on the geographical location, between 10m2 and >900m2. In planar and level areas, thermal contraction cracks tend to be well connected as hexagonal or irregular polygonal networks without a preferred alignment. In contrast, polygonal networks on slopes form elongated, orthogonal primary cracks, which are either parallel or transverse to the steepest topographic gradient. During fieldwork, excavations were made in the center of polygons and across the bounding cracks. Typically, the uppermost 40 cm of regolith are dry and unconsolidated. Below that, there is commonly a sharp transition to ice-cemented material or very clear ice with no bubbles. Soil profiles were recorded, and sediment samples were taken and analyzed for their grain size composition with laser diffractometric measurement methods. External factors such as slope gradient and orientation, insolation and composition of surface and subsurface materials were included in the analysis.

  17. A modified Brownian force for ultrafine particle penetration through building crack modeling

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Chen; Zhao, Bin

    2017-12-01

    Combustion processes related to industry, traffic, agriculture, and waste treatment and disposal increase the amount of outdoor ultrafine particles (UFPs), which have adverse effects on human health. Given that people spend the majority of their time indoors, it is critical to understand the penetration of outdoor UFPs through building cracks in order to estimate human exposure to outdoor-originated UFPs. Lagrangian tracking is an efficient approach for modeling particle penetration. However, the Brownian motion for Lagrangian tracking in ANSYS Fluent®, a widely used software for particle dispersion modeling, is not able to model UFP dispersion accurately. In this study, we modified the Brownian force by rewriting the Brownian diffusion coefficient and particle integration time step with a user-defined function in ANSYS Fluent® to model particle penetration through building cracks. The results obtained using the modified model agree much better with the experimental results, with the averaged relative error less than 14% for the smooth crack cases and 21% for the rough crack case. We expect the modified Brownian force model proposed herein to be applied for UFP dispersion modeling in more indoor air quality studies.

  18. A Relationship Between Constraint and the Critical Crack Tip Opening Angle

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Johnston, William M.; James, Mark A.

    2009-01-01

    Of the various approaches used to model and predict fracture, the Crack Tip Opening Angle (CTOA) fracture criterion has been successfully used for a wide range of two-dimensional thin-sheet and thin plate applications. As thicker structure is considered, modeling the full three-dimensional fracture process will become essential. This paper investigates relationships between the local CTOA evaluated along a three-dimensional crack front and the corresponding local constraint. Previously reported tunneling crack front shapes were measured during fracture by pausing each test and fatigue cycling the specimens to mark the crack surface. Finite element analyses were run to model the tunneling shape during fracture, with the analysis loading conditions duplicating those tests. The results show an inverse relationship between the critical fracture value and constraint which is valid both before maximum load and after maximum load.

  19. A film-rupture model of hydrogen-induced, slow crack growth in alpha-beta titanium

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Nelson, H. G.

    1975-01-01

    The appearance of the terrace like fracture morphology of gaseous hydrogen induced crack growth in acicular alpha-beta titanium alloys is discussed as a function of specimen configuration, magnitude of applied stress intensity, test temperature, and hydrogen pressure. Although the overall appearance of the terrace structure remained essentially unchanged, a distinguishable variation is found in the size of the individual terrace steps, and step size is found to be inversely dependent upon the rate of hydrogen induced slow crack growth. Additionally, this inverse relationship is independent of all the variables investigated. These observations are quantitatively discussed in terms of the formation and growth of a thin hydride film along the alpha-beta boundaries and a qualitative model for hydrogen induced slow crack growth is presented, based on the film-rupture model of stress corrosion cracking.

  20. Active Metal Brazing and Characterization of Brazed Joints in C-C and C-SiC Composites to Copper-Clad-Molybdenum System

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Singh, M.; Asthana, R.

    2008-01-01

    Carbon/carbon composites with CVI and resin-derived matrices, and C/SiC composites reinforced with T-300 carbon fibers in a CVI SiC matrix were joined to Cu-clad Mo using two Ag-Cu braze alloys, Cusil-ABA (1.75% Ti) and Ticusil (4.5% Ti). The brazed joints revealed good interfacial bonding, preferential precipitation of Ti at the composite/braze interface, and a tendency toward delamination in resin-derived C/C composite. Extensive braze penetration of the inter-fiber channels in the CVI C/C composites was observed. The Knoop microhardness (HK) distribution across the C/C joints indicated sharp gradients at the interface, and a higher hardness in Ticusil than in Cusil-ABA. For the C/SiC composite to Cu-clad-Mo joints, the effect of composite surface preparation revealed that ground samples did not crack whereas unground samples cracked. Calculated strain energy in brazed joints in both systems is comparable to the strain energy in a number of other ceramic/metal systems. Theoretical predictions of the effective thermal resistance suggest that such joined systems may be promising for thermal management applications.

  1. Fnk Model of Cracking Rate Calculus for a Variable Asymmetry Coefficient

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Roşca, Vâlcu; Miriţoiu, Cosmin Mihai

    2017-12-01

    In the process of materials fracture, a very important parameter to study is the cracking rate growth da/dN. This paper proposes an analysis of the cracking rate, in a comparative way, by using four mathematical models:1 - polynomial method, by using successive iterations according to the ASTM E647 standard; 2 - model that uses the Paris formula; 3 - Walker formula method; 4 - NASGRO model or Forman - Newman - Konig equation, abbreviated as FNK model. This model is used in the NASA programs studies. For the tests, CT type specimens were made from stainless steel, V2A class, 10TiNiCr175 mark, and loaded to a variable tensile test axial - eccentrically, with the asymmetry coefficients: R= 0.1, 0.3 and 0.5; at the 213K (-60°C) temperature. There are analyzed the cracking rates variations according to the above models, especially through FNK method, highlighting the asymmetry factor variation.

  2. Lifetime prediction for the subsurface crack propagation using three-dimensional dynamic FEA model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yin, Yuan; Chen, Yun-Xia; Liu, Le

    2017-03-01

    The subsurface crack propagation is one of the major interests for gear system research. The subsurface crack propagation lifetime is the number of cycles remaining for a spall to appear, which can be obtained through either stress intensity factor or accumulated plastic strain analysis. In this paper, the heavy loads are applied to the gear system. When choosing stress intensity factor, the high compressive stress suppresses Mode I stress intensities and severely reduces Mode II stress intensities in the heavily loaded lubricated contacts. Such that, the accumulated plastic strain is selected to calculate the subsurface crack propagation lifetime from the three-dimensional FEA model through ANSYS Workbench transient analysis. The three-dimensional gear FEA dynamic model with the subsurface crack is built through dividing the gears into several small elements. The calculation of the total cycles of the elements is proposed based on the time-varying accumulated plastic strain, which then will be used to calculate the subsurface crack propagation lifetime. During this process, the demonstration from a subsurface crack to a spall can be uncovered. In addition, different sizes of the elements around the subsurface crack are compared in this paper. The influences of the frictional coefficient and external torque on the crack propagation lifetime are also discussed. The results show that the lifetime of crack propagation decreases significantly when the external load T increasing from 100 N m to 150 N m. Given from the distributions of the accumulated plastic strain, the lifetime shares no significant difference when the frictional coefficient f ranging in 0.04-0.06.

  3. Study of the Effects of Metallurgical Factors on the Growth of Fatigue Microcracks.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1987-11-25

    polycrystalline) yield stress. 8. The resulting model, predicated on the notion of orientation-dependent microplastic grains, predicts quantitatively the entire...Figure 5. Predicted crack growth curves for small cracks propagating from a microplastic grain into elastic-plastic, contiguous grains; Ao is defined as...or the crack tip opening *displacement, 6. Figure 5. Predicted crack growth curves for small cracks propagating from a microplastic grain into

  4. [Monitoring of Crack Propagation in Repaired Structures Based on Characteristics of FBG Sensors Reflecting Spectra].

    PubMed

    Yuan, Shen-fang; Jin, Xin; Qiu, Lei; Huang, Hong-mei

    2015-03-01

    In order to improve the security of aircraft repaired structures, a method of crack propagation monitoring in repaired structures is put forward basing on characteristics of Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) reflecting spectra in this article. With the cyclic loading effecting on repaired structure, cracks propagate, while non-uniform strain field appears nearby the tip of crack which leads to the FBG sensors' reflecting spectra deformations. The crack propagating can be monitored by extracting the characteristics of FBG sensors' reflecting spectral deformations. A finite element model (FEM) of the specimen is established. Meanwhile, the distributions of strains which are under the action of cracks of different angles and lengths are obtained. The characteristics, such as main peak wavelength shift, area of reflecting spectra, second and third peak value and so on, are extracted from the FBGs' reflecting spectral which are calculated by transfer matrix algorithm. An artificial neural network is built to act as the model between the characteristics of the reflecting spectral and the propagation of crack. As a result, the crack propagation of repaired structures is monitored accurately and the error of crack length is less than 0.5 mm, the error of crack angle is less than 5 degree. The accurately monitoring problem of crack propagation of repaired structures is solved by taking use of this method. It has important significance in aircrafts safety improvement and maintenance cost reducing.

  5. Mechanics of the Delayed Fracture of Viscoelastic Bodies with Cracks: Theory and Experiment (Review)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kaminsky, A. A.

    2014-09-01

    Theoretical and experimental studies on the deformation and delayed fracture of viscoelastic bodies due to slow subcritical crack growth are reviewed. The focus of this review is on studies of subcritical growth of cracks with well-developed fracture process zones, the conditions that lead to their critical development, and all stages of slow crack growth from initiation to the onset of catastrophic growth. Models, criteria, and methods used to study the delayed fracture of viscoelastic bodies with through and internal cracks are analyzed. Experimental studies of the fracture process zones in polymers using physical and mechanical methods as well as theoretical studies of these zones using fracture mesomechanics models that take into account the structural and rheological features of polymers are reviewed. Particular attention is given to crack growth in anisotropic media, the effect of the aging of viscoelastic materials on their delayed fracture, safe external loads that do not cause cracks to propagate, the mechanism of multiple-flaw fracture of viscoelastic bodies with several cracks and, especially, processes causing cracks to coalesce into a main crack, which may result in a break of the body. Methods and results of solving two- and three-dimensional problems of the mechanics of delayed fracture of aging and non-aging viscoelastic bodies with cracks under constant and variable external loads, wedging, and biaxial loads are given

  6. Variations of a global constraint factor in cracked bodies under tension and bending loads

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Newman, J. C., Jr.; Crews, J. H., Jr.; Bigelow, C. A.; Dawicke, D. S.

    1994-01-01

    Elastic-plastic finite-element analyses were used to calculate stresses and displacements around a crack in finite-thickness plates for an elastic-perfectly plastic material. Middle- and edge-crack specimens were analyzed under tension and bending loads. Specimens were 1.25 to 20 mm thick with various widths and crack lengths. A global constraint factor alpha(sub g), an averaged normal-stress to flow-stress ratio over the plastic region, was defined to simulate three-dimensional (3D) effects in two-dimensional (2D) models. For crack lengths and uncracked ligament lengths greater than four times the thickness, the global constraint factor was found to be nearly a unique function of a normalized stress-intensity factor (related to plastic-zone size to thickness ratio) from small- to large-scale yielding conditions for various specimen types and thickness. For crack length-to-thickness ratios less than four, the global constraint factor was specimen type, crack length and thickness dependent. Using a 2D strip-yield model and the global constraint factors, plastic-zone sizes and crack-tip displacements agreed reasonably well with the 3D analyses. For a thin sheet aluminum alloy, the critical crack-tip-opening angle during stable tearing was found to be independent of specimen type and crack length for crack length-to-thickness ratios greater than 4.

  7. Damage Tolerant Analysis of Cracked Al 2024-T3 Panels repaired with Single Boron/Epoxy Patch

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mahajan, Akshay D.; Murthy, A. Ramachandra; Nanda Kumar, M. R.; Gopinath, Smitha

    2018-06-01

    It is known that damage tolerant analysis has two objectives, namely, remaining life prediction and residual strength evaluation. To achieve the these objectives, determination of accurate and reliable fracture parameter is very important. XFEM methodologies for fatigue and fracture analysis of cracked aluminium panels repaired with different patch shapes made of single boron/epoxy have been developed. Heaviside and asymptotic crack tip enrichment functions are employed to model the crack. XFEM formulations such as displacement field formulation and element stiffness matrix formulation are presented. Domain form of interaction integral is employed to determine Stress Intensity Factor of repaired cracked panels. Computed SIFs are incorporated in Paris crack growth model to predict the remaining fatigue life. The residual strength has been computed by using the remaining life approach, which accounts for both crack growth constants and no. of cycles to failure. From the various studies conducted, it is observed that repaired panels have significant effect on reduction of the SIF at the crack tip and hence residual strength as well as remaining life of the patched cracked panels are improved significantly. The predicted remaining life and residual strength will be useful for design of structures/components under fatigue loading.

  8. Critical stresses for extension of filament-bridged matrix cracks in ceramic-matrix composites: An assessment with a model composite with tailored interfaces

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Danchaivijit, S.; Shetty, D.K.; Eldridge, J.

    Matrix cracking was studied in a model unidirectional composite of SiC filaments in an epoxy-bonded alumina matrix. The residual clamping stress on the filaments due to the shrinkage of the epoxy was moderated with the addition of the alumina filler, and the filament surface was coated with a releasing agent to produce unbonded frictional interfaces. Uniaxial tension specimens with controlled through-cracks with bridging filaments were fabricated by a two-step casting technique. Critical stresses for extension of the filament-bridged cracks of various lengths were measured in uniaxial tension using a high-sensitivity extensometer. The measured crack-length dependence of the critical stress wasmore » in good agreement with the prediction of a stress-intensity analysis that employed a new force-displacement law for the bridging filaments. The analysis required independent experimental evaluation of the matrix fracture toughness, the interfacial sliding friction stress, and the residual tension in the matrix. The matrix-cracking stress for the test specimens without the deliberately introduced cracks was significantly higher than the steady-state cracking stress measured for the long, filament-bridged cracks.« less

  9. Physically Based Failure Criteria for Transverse Matrix Cracking

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Davila, Carlos G.; Camanho, Pedro P.

    2003-01-01

    A criterion for matrix failure of laminated composite plies in transverse tension and in-plane shear is developed by examining the mechanics of transverse matrix crack growth. Matrix cracks are assumed to initiate from manufacturing defects and can propagate within planes parallel to the fiber direction and normal to the ply mid-plane. Fracture mechanics models of cracks in unidirectional laminates, embedded plies and outer plies are developed to determine the onset and direction of propagation for unstable crack growth. The models for each ply configuration relate ply thickness and ply toughness to the corresponding in-situ ply strength. Calculated results for several materials are shown to correlate well with experimental results.

  10. Crack healing in cross-ply composites observed by dynamic mechanical analysis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nielsen, Christian; Nemat-Nasser, Sia

    2015-03-01

    Cross-ply composites with healable polymer matrices are characterized using dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). The [90,0]s samples are prepared by embedding layers of unidirectional glass or carbon fibers in 2MEP4FS, a polymer with thermally reversible covalent cross-links, which has been shown to be capable of healing internal cracks and fully recovering fracture toughness when the crack surfaces are kept in contact. After fabrication, cracks in the composites' transverse plies are observed due to residual thermal stresses introduced during processing. Single cantilever bending DMA measurements show the samples exhibit periods of increasing storage moduli with increasing temperature. These results are accurately modeled as a one-dimensional composite, which captures the underlying physics of the phenomenon. The effect of cracks on the stiffness is accounted for by a shear-lag model. The predicted crack density of the glass fiber composite is shown to fall within a range observed from microscopy images. Crack healing occurs as a function of temperature, with chemistry and mechanics-based rationales given for the onset and conclusion of healing. The model captures the essential physics of the phenomenon and yields results in accord with experimental observations.

  11. The initiation and persistence of cracks in Enceladus' ice shell

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rudolph, M. L.; Jordan, J.; Manga, M.; Hawkins, E. K.; Grannan, A. M.; Reinhard, A.; Farough, A.; Mittal, T.; Hernandez, J. A.

    2016-12-01

    The eruption of water from a global ocean underlying Enceladus' ice shell requires; i. a mechanism to create stresses sufficient to produce cracks that reach the ocean, ii. that the ascent of water through the crack must be fast enough to keep the crack from freezing. We develop models for the evolution of stresses in the ice shell and overpressure in the ocean, the propagation of cracks into the ice shell, and the melting of ice caused by the eruption of water through the cracks. We show that modest cooling of Enceladus' interior can produce extensional stresses in the ice shell sufficient to overcome the tensile strength of ice. We show that the resultant ice shell cracks can penetrate to depths greater than 10 km. Cracks of 10 km are required to reach the interior oceans of Enceladus in the polar regions. After crack formation, we show that the present eruption rate is sufficient to keep cracks from freezing below the water-table, at which water boils and subsequently erupts. The ascent of warm water from Enceladus' ocean widens the cracks and thins the ice shell in the South Polar Terrain (SPT). Model predictions show that a crack with the minimum, sufficient heat flow to persist without freezing, would thin the surrounding ice shell by about a factor of two. This calculation for heat flow is consistent with observed heat fluxes at the surface and recent inferences of the ice shell thickness in the SPT based on the shape and gravity of Enceladus.

  12. Influence of material ductility and crack surface roughness on fracture instability

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Khezrzadeh, Hamed; Wnuk, Michael P.; Yavari, Arash

    2011-10-01

    This paper presents a stability analysis for fractal cracks. First, the Westergaard stress functions are proposed for semi-infinite and finite smooth cracks embedded in the stress fields associated with the corresponding self-affine fractal cracks. These new stress functions satisfy all the required boundary conditions and according to Wnuk and Yavari's (2003 Eng. Fract. Mech. 70 1659-74) embedded crack model they are used to derive the stress and displacement fields generated around a fractal crack. These results are then used in conjunction with the final stretch criterion to study the quasi-static stable crack extension, which in ductile materials precedes the global failure. The material resistance curves are determined by solving certain nonlinear differential equations and then employed in predicting the stress levels at the onset of stable crack growth and at the critical point, where a transition to the catastrophic failure occurs. It is shown that the incorporation of the fractal geometry into the crack model, i.e. accounting for the roughness of the crack surfaces, results in (1) higher threshold levels of the material resistance to crack propagation and (2) higher levels of the critical stresses associated with the onset of catastrophic fracture. While the process of quasi-static stable crack growth (SCG) is viewed as a sequence of local instability states, the terminal instability attained at the end of this process is identified with the global instability. The phenomenon of SCG can be used as an early warning sign in fracture detection and prevention.

  13. Overload retardation due to plasticity-induced crack closure

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fleck, N. A.; Shercliff, H. R.

    1989-01-01

    Experiments are reported which show that plasticity-induced crack closure can account for crack growth retardation following an overload. The finite element method is used to provide evidence which supports the experimental observations of crack closure. Finally, a simple model is presented which predicts with limited success the retardation transient following an overload.

  14. 76 FR 22316 - Airworthiness Directives; Pacific Aerospace Limited Model 750XL Airplanes

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-04-21

    ... pedal assemblies for cracks and incorporating a modification repair scheme if any cracks are found. You... cracks and incorporating a modification repair scheme if any cracks are found. You may obtain further... intervals not to exceed 300 hours time-in-service (TIS) until the modification repair scheme required in...

  15. 76 FR 58416 - Airworthiness Directives; Lockheed Martin Corporation/Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company Model L...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-09-21

    ... specifies a bolt hole eddy current inspection to verify the cracking. The corrective actions for cracking... specified in paragraph (k) of this AD, do eddy current non-destructive inspections (NDI) and detailed... secondary eddy current inspection to detect cracking of fastener holes with suspected crack indications; in...

  16. A pressurized cylindrical shell with a fixed end which contains an axial part-through or through crack

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Yahsi, O. S.; Erdogan, F.

    1983-01-01

    A cylindrical shell having a very stiff and plate or a flange is considered. It is assumed that near the end the cylinder contains an axial flaw which may be modeled as a part through surface crack or a through crack. The effect of the end constraining on the stress intensity factor which is the main fracture mechanics parameter is studied. The applied loads acting on the cylinder are assumed to be axisymmetric. Thus the crack problem under consideration is symmetric with respect to the plane of the crack and consequently only the Mode 1 stress intensity factors are nonzero. With this limitation, the general perturbation problem for a cylinder with a built in end containing an axial crack is considered. Reissner's shell theory is used to formulate the problem. The part through crack problem is treated by using a line spring model. In the case of a crack tip terminating at the fixed end it is shown that the integral equations of the shell problem has the same generalized Cauchy kernel as the corresponding plane stress elasticity problem.

  17. Microstructurally-sensitive fatigue crack nucleation in Ni-based single and oligo crystals

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Bo; Jiang, Jun; Dunne, Fionn P. E.

    2017-09-01

    An integrated experimental, characterisation and computational crystal plasticity study of cyclic plastic beam loading has been carried out for nickel single crystal (CMSX4) and oligocrystal (MAR002) alloys in order to assess quantitatively the mechanistic drivers for fatigue crack nucleation. The experimentally validated modelling provides knowledge of key microstructural quantities (accumulated slip, stress and GND density) at experimentally observed fatigue crack nucleation sites and it is shown that while each of these quantities is potentially important in crack nucleation, none of them in its own right is sufficient to be predictive. However, the local (elastic) stored energy density, measured over a length scale determined by the density of SSDs and GNDs, has been shown to predict crack nucleation sites in the single and oligocrystals tests. In addition, once primary nucleated cracks develop and are represented in the crystal model using XFEM, the stored energy correctly identifies where secondary fatigue cracks are observed to nucleate in experiments. This (Griffith-Stroh type) quantity also correctly differentiates and explains intergranular and transgranular fatigue crack nucleation.

  18. A physical model study of scattering of waves by aligned cracks: Comparison between experiment and theory

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Ass'ad, J.M.; McDonald, J.A.; Kusky, T.M.

    1993-04-01

    An approximation to plane-wave propagation through a composite material is examined using a physical model with oriented but randomly distributed penny-shaped rubber inclusions within an isotropic epoxy resin matrix. A pulse transmission method is used to determine velocities of shear and compressional waves as a function of angle of incidence and crack density. The experimental and theoretical results of Hudson were compared and limitations within the crack parameters used in this study have been determined. Results from both polarized shear waves (S1, S2) compare favorably with the theory for a composite with up to 7% crack density, but theory andmore » experiment diverge at higher crack densities. On the other hand, compressional-wave velocities at low crack densities (1% and 3%) compare favorably with the theory. It is also shown that the velocity ratio V[sub p]/V[sub s] for two extreme cases, i.e. propagation normal and parallel to the cracks, as a function of crack density and porosity, has a strong directional dependence.« less

  19. Discrete Dislocation Modeling of Fatigue

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Needleman, Alan

    2004-03-01

    In joint work with V.S. Deshpande of Cambridge University and E. Van der Giessen of the University of Groningen a framework has been developed for the analysis of crack growth under cyclic loading conditions where plastic flow arises from the motion of large numbers of discrete dislocations and the fracture properties are embedded in a cohesive surface constitutive relation. The material model is independent of the presence of a crack and the only distinction between an analysis of monotonic crack growth and fatigue crack growth is that in fatigue the remote loading is specified to be an oscillating function of time. Thus, a basic question is: within this framework, do cracks grow at a lower driving force under cyclic loading than under monotonic loading, and if so, what features of fatigue crack growth emerge? Fatigue does emerge from the calculations as a consequence of the evolution of internal stresses associated with the irreversibility of the dislocation motion. A fatigue threshold, Paris law behavior, striations and the accelerated growth of short cracks are outcomes of the simulations. Also, scaling predictions obtained for the fatigue threshold and the fatigue crack growth rate are discussed.

  20. Analysis of kidney-shaped indentation cracks in 4Y-PSZ

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Pajares, A.; Guiberteau, F.; Cumbrera, F.L.

    1996-11-01

    Vickers indentation cracks in zirconia containing ceramics very often exhibit two non-connected mirror symmetric branches with kidney-shaped morphology. Kidney cracks, generated with different indentation loads (98--490 N) in 4 mol.% yttria-partially-stabilized-zirconia (4Y-PSZ), are described and analyzed by proposing a model which combines the observed geometrical features with residual stress considerations. The crack shape is affected by a radial decreasing hydrostatic stress field originating in the plastic deformation zone underneath the impression and with its center at a certain depth from the surface. The hydrostatic stresses modify the generally assumed point force residual stress field. The model provides a self-similar descriptionmore » of the residual stress intensity factor for kidney cracks from different indentation loads. Furthermore, the experimental observation that one single half-penny crack rather than the two kidney cracks forms at higher indentation loads is explained by the model. For 4Y-PSZ a reasonably good agreement between the theoretically calculated and the experimentally observed critical transition load from kidney to half-penny geometry, P*, is obtained. The transition load varies with toughness, K{sub R} and hardness, H, according to P* {approximately} K{sub R}{sup 4}/H{sup 3}, indicating the relative influence of deformation and fracture characteristics on crack morphology. It must be concluded that the kidney-shaped contour is the dominant geometry of elastic/plastic contact cracks in tough zirconia-containing ceramics.« less

  1. Structural Health Monitoring System Trade Space Analysis Tool with Consideration for Crack Growth, Sensor Degradation and a Variable Detection Threshold

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-09-18

    Erdogan , 1963). 26 Paris’s Law Under a fatigue stress regime Paris’s Law relates sub-critical crack growth to stress intensity factor. The basic...Paris and Erdogan , 1963). After takeoff, the model generates a probability distribution for the crack length in that specific sortie based on the...Law is one of the most widely used fatigue crack growth models and was used in this research effort (Paris and Erdogan , 1963). Paris’s Law Under a

  2. The Dugdale model for the compact specimen

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mall, S.; Newman, J. C., Jr.

    1983-01-01

    Plastic zone size and crack tip opening displacement (CTOD) equations were developed. Boundary collocation analyses were used to analyze the compact specimen subjected to various loading conditions (pin loads, concentrated forces, and uniform pressure acting on the crack surface). Stress intensity factor and crack surface displacement equations for some of these loadings were developed and used to obtain the Dugdale model. The results from the equations for plastic zone size and CTOD agreed well with numerical values calculated by Terada for crack length to width ratios greater than 0.4.

  3. Preliminary results on the fracture analysis of multi-site cracking of lap joints in aircraft skins

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Beuth, J. L., Jr.; Hutchinson, John W.

    1992-07-01

    Results of a fracture mechanics analysis relevant to fatigue crack growth at rivets in lap joints of aircraft skins are presented. Multi-site damage (MSD) is receiving increased attention within the context of problems of aging aircraft. Fracture analyses previously carried out include small-scale modeling of rivet/skin interactions, larger-scale two-dimensional models of lap joints similar to that developed here, and full scale three-dimensional models of large portions of the aircraft fuselage. Fatigue testing efforts have included flat coupon specimens, two-dimensional lap joint tests, and full scale tests on specimens designed to closely duplicate aircraft sections. Most of this work is documented in the proceedings of previous symposia on the aging aircraft problem. The effect MSD has on the ability of skin stiffeners to arrest the growth of long skin cracks is a particularly important topic that remains to be addressed. One of the most striking features of MSD observed in joints of some test sections and in the joints of some of the older aircraft fuselages is the relative uniformity of the fatigue cracks from rivet to rivet along an extended row of rivets. This regularity suggests that nucleation of the cracks must not be overly difficult. Moreover, it indicates that there is some mechanism which keeps longer cracks from running away from shorter ones, or, equivalently, a mechanism for shorter cracks to catch-up with longer cracks. This basic mechanism has not been identified, and one of the objectives of the work is to see to what extent the mechanism is revealed by a fracture analysis of the MSD cracks. Another related aim is to present accurate stress intensity factor variations with crack length which can be used to estimate fatigue crack growth lifetimes once cracks have been initiated. Results are presented which illustrate the influence of load shedding from rivets with long cracks to neighboring rivets with shorter cracks. Results are also included for the effect of residual stress due to the riveting process itself.

  4. Preliminary results on the fracture analysis of multi-site cracking of lap joints in aircraft skins

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Beuth, J. L., Jr.; Hutchinson, John W.

    1992-01-01

    Results of a fracture mechanics analysis relevant to fatigue crack growth at rivets in lap joints of aircraft skins are presented. Multi-site damage (MSD) is receiving increased attention within the context of problems of aging aircraft. Fracture analyses previously carried out include small-scale modeling of rivet/skin interactions, larger-scale two-dimensional models of lap joints similar to that developed here, and full scale three-dimensional models of large portions of the aircraft fuselage. Fatigue testing efforts have included flat coupon specimens, two-dimensional lap joint tests, and full scale tests on specimens designed to closely duplicate aircraft sections. Most of this work is documented in the proceedings of previous symposia on the aging aircraft problem. The effect MSD has on the ability of skin stiffeners to arrest the growth of long skin cracks is a particularly important topic that remains to be addressed. One of the most striking features of MSD observed in joints of some test sections and in the joints of some of the older aircraft fuselages is the relative uniformity of the fatigue cracks from rivet to rivet along an extended row of rivets. This regularity suggests that nucleation of the cracks must not be overly difficult. Moreover, it indicates that there is some mechanism which keeps longer cracks from running away from shorter ones, or, equivalently, a mechanism for shorter cracks to catch-up with longer cracks. This basic mechanism has not been identified, and one of the objectives of the work is to see to what extent the mechanism is revealed by a fracture analysis of the MSD cracks. Another related aim is to present accurate stress intensity factor variations with crack length which can be used to estimate fatigue crack growth lifetimes once cracks have been initiated. Results are presented which illustrate the influence of load shedding from rivets with long cracks to neighboring rivets with shorter cracks. Results are also included for the effect of residual stress due to the riveting process itself.

  5. Simulating Fatigue Crack Growth in Spiral Bevel Pinion

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ural, Ani; Wawrzynek, Paul A.; Ingraffe, Anthony R.

    2003-01-01

    This project investigates computational modeling of fatigue crack growth in spiral bevel gears. Current work is a continuation of the previous efforts made to use the Boundary Element Method (BEM) to simulate tooth-bending fatigue failure in spiral bevel gears. This report summarizes new results predicting crack trajectory and fatigue life for a spiral bevel pinion using the Finite Element Method (FEM). Predicting crack trajectories is important in determining the failure mode of a gear. Cracks propagating through the rim may result in catastrophic failure, whereas the gear may remain intact if one tooth fails and this may allow for early detection of failure. Being able to predict crack trajectories is insightful for the designer. However, predicting growth of three-dimensional arbitrary cracks is complicated due to the difficulty of creating three-dimensional models, the computing power required, and absence of closed- form solutions of the problem. Another focus of this project was performing three-dimensional contact analysis of a spiral bevel gear set incorporating cracks. These analyses were significant in determining the influence of change of tooth flexibility due to crack growth on the magnitude and location of contact loads. This is an important concern since change in contact loads might lead to differences in SIFs and therefore result in alteration of the crack trajectory. Contact analyses performed in this report showed the expected trend of decreasing tooth loads carried by the cracked tooth with increasing crack length. Decrease in tooth loads lead to differences between SIFs extracted from finite element contact analysis and finite element analysis with Hertz contact loads. This effect became more pronounced as the crack grew.

  6. Environmental Barrier Coating (EBC) Durability Modeling; An Overview and Preliminary Analysis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Abdul-Aziz, A.; Bhatt, R. T.; Grady, J. E.; Zhu, D.

    2012-01-01

    A study outlining a fracture mechanics based model that is being developed to investigate crack growth and spallation of environmental barrier coating (EBC) under thermal cycling conditions is presented. A description of the current plan and a model to estimate thermal residual stresses in the coating and preliminary fracture mechanics concepts for studying crack growth in the coating are also discussed. A road map for modeling life and durability of the EBC and the results of FEA model(s) developed for predicting thermal residual stresses and the cracking behavior of the coating are generated and described. Further initial assessment and preliminary results showed that developing a comprehensive EBC life prediction model incorporating EBC cracking, degradation and spalling mechanism under stress and temperature gradients typically seen in turbine components is difficult. This is basically due to mismatch in thermal expansion difference between sub-layers of EBC as well as between EBC and substrate, diffusion of moisture and oxygen though the coating, and densification of the coating during operating conditions as well as due to foreign object damage, the EBC can also crack and spall from the substrate causing oxidation and recession and reducing the design life of the EBC coated substrate.

  7. Vibration based algorithm for crack detection in cantilever beam containing two different types of cracks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Behzad, Mehdi; Ghadami, Amin; Maghsoodi, Ameneh; Michael Hale, Jack

    2013-11-01

    In this paper, a simple method for detection of multiple edge cracks in Euler-Bernoulli beams having two different types of cracks is presented based on energy equations. Each crack is modeled as a massless rotational spring using Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics (LEFM) theory, and a relationship among natural frequencies, crack locations and stiffness of equivalent springs is demonstrated. In the procedure, for detection of m cracks in a beam, 3m equations and natural frequencies of healthy and cracked beam in two different directions are needed as input to the algorithm. The main accomplishment of the presented algorithm is the capability to detect the location, severity and type of each crack in a multi-cracked beam. Concise and simple calculations along with accuracy are other advantages of this method. A number of numerical examples for cantilever beams including one and two cracks are presented to validate the method.

  8. Analytical model for effects of capsule shape on the healing efficiency in self-healing materials

    PubMed Central

    Li, Songpeng; Chen, Huisu

    2017-01-01

    The fundamental requirement for the autonomous capsule-based self-healing process to work is that cracks need to reach the capsules and break them such that the healing agent can be released. Ignoring all other aspects, the amount of healing agents released into the crack is essential to obtain a good healing. Meanwhile, from the perspective of the capsule shapes, spherical or elongated capsules (hollow tubes/fibres) are the main morphologies used in capsule-based self-healing materials. The focus of this contribution is the description of the effects of capsule shape on the efficiency of healing agent released in capsule-based self-healing material within the framework of the theory of geometrical probability and integral geometry. Analytical models are developed to characterize the amount of healing agent released per crack area from capsules for an arbitrary crack intersecting with capsules of various shapes in a virtual capsule-based self-healing material. The average crack opening distance is chosen to be a key parameter in defining the healing potential of individual cracks in the models. Furthermore, the accuracy of the developed models was verified by comparison to the data from a published numerical simulation study. PMID:29095862

  9. Modeling fatigue crack growth in cross ply titanium matrix composites

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bakuckas, J. G., Jr.; Johnson, W. S.

    1993-01-01

    In this study, the fatigue crack growth behavior of fiber bridging matrix cracks in cross-ply SCS-6/Ti-15-3 and SCS-6/Timetal-21S laminates containing center holes was investigated. Experimental observations revealed that matrix cracking was far more extensive and wide spread in the SCS-6/Ti-15-3 laminates compared to that in the SCS-6/Timetal-21S laminates. In addition, the fatigue life of the SCS-6/Ti-15-3 laminates was significantly longer than that of the SCS-6/Timetal-21S laminates. The matrix cracking observed in both material systems was analyzed using a fiber bridging (FB) model which was formulated using the boundary correction factors and weight functions for center hole specimen configurations. A frictional shear stress is assumed in the FB model and was used as a curve fitting parameter to model matrix crack growth data. The higher frictional shear stresses calculated in the SCS-6/Timetal-21S laminates resulted in lower stress intensity factors in the matrix and higher axial stresses in the fibers compared to those in the SCS-6/Ti-15-3 laminates at the same applied stress levels.

  10. Electromechanical Impedance Response of a Cracked Timoshenko Beam

    PubMed Central

    Zhang, Yuxiang; Xu, Fuhou; Chen, Jiazhao; Wu, Cuiqin; Wen, Dongdong

    2011-01-01

    Typically, the Electromechanical Impedance (EMI) technique does not use an analytical model for basic damage identification. However, an accurate model is necessary for getting more information about any damage. In this paper, an EMI model is presented for predicting the electromechanical impedance of a cracked beam structure quantitatively. A coupled system of a cracked Timoshenko beam with a pair of PZT patches bonded on the top and bottom surfaces has been considered, where the bonding layers are assumed as a Kelvin-Voigt material. The shear lag model is introduced to describe the load transfer between the PZT patches and the beam structure. The beam crack is simulated as a massless torsional spring; the dynamic equations of the coupled system are derived, which include the crack information and the inertial forces of both PZT patches and adhesive layers. According to the boundary conditions and continuity conditions, the analytical expression of the admittance of PZT patch is obtained. In the case study, the influences of crack and the inertial forces of PZT patches are analyzed. The results show that: (1) the inertial forces affects significantly in high frequency band; and (2) the use of appropriate frequency range can improve the accuracy of damage identification. PMID:22164017

  11. Mathematical modelling of anisotropy of illite-rich shale

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Chesnokov, E.M.; Tiwary, D.K.; Bayuk, I.O.; Sparkman, M.A.; Brown, R.L.

    2009-01-01

    The estimation of illite-rich shale anisotropy to account for the alignment of clays and gas- or brine-filled cracks is presented via mathematical modelling. Such estimation requires analysis to interpret the dominance of one effect over another. This knowledge can help to evaluate the permeability in the unconventional reservoir, stress orientation, and the seal capacity for the conventional reservoir. Effective media modelling is used to predict the elastic properties of the illite-rich shale and to identify the dominant contributions to the shale anisotropy. We consider two principal reasons of the shale anisotropy: orientation of clay platelets and orientation of fluid-filled cracks. In reality, both of these two factors affect the shale anisotropy. The goal of this study is, first, to separately analyse the effect of these two factors to reveal the specific features in P- and S-wave velocity behaviour typical of each of the factors, and, then, consider a combined effect of the factors when the cracks are horizontally or vertically aligned. To do this, we construct four models of shale. The behaviour of P- and S-wave velocities is analysed when gas- and water-filled cracks embedded in a host matrix are randomly oriented, or horizontally or vertically aligned. The host matrix can be either isotropic or anisotropic (of VTI symmetry). In such a modelling, we use published data on mineralogy and clay platelet alignment along with other micromechanical measurements. In the model, where the host matrix is isotropic, the presence of a singularity point (when the difference VS1 - VS2 changes its sign) in shear wave velocities is an indicator of brine-filled aligned cracks. In the model with the VTI host matrix and horizontally aligned cracks filled with gas, an increase in their volume concentration leads to that the azimuth at which the singularity is observed moves toward the symmetry axis. In this case, if the clay content is small (around 20 per cent), the singularity point may even vanish. The Thomsen parameters are helpful in fluid type indication in shale. An indicator of gas-filled aligned cracks is ?? > ??. If aligned cracks in illite-rich shale are brine-filled, ?? < ??. Negative value of ?? indicates brine-filled cracks in illite-rich shale. A shale with brine-filled cracks exhibits higher Vp/Vs ratio in the vertical direction as compared to the gas-filled shale. A disorientation of clay platelets and brine-filled cracks may lead to that the singularity point is absent for brine-saturated shale as well. In this case one can also observe ?? > ?? and decreased values of Vp/Vs in the vertical direction as in the case of gas-filled cracks. In the presence of vertically aligned cracks, shales exhibit distinctly revealed features of orthorhombic symmetry. The results have important applications where seismic measurements are applied to predict the maturity state of the shale. ?? 2009 The Authors Journal compilation ?? 2009 RAS.

  12. Investigation of the effects of manufacturing variations and materials on fatigue crack detection methods in gear teeth

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wheitner, Jeffrey A.; Houser, Donald R.

    1994-01-01

    The fatigue life of a gear tooth can be thought of as the sum of the number of cycles required to initiate a crack, N(sub i), plus the number of cycles required to propagate the crack to such a length that fracture occurs, N(sub p). The factors that govern crack initiation are thought to be related to localized stress or strain at a point, while propagation of a fatigue crack is a function of the crack tip parameters such as crack shape, stress state, and stress intensity factor. During a test there is no clear transition between initiation and propagation. The mechanisms of initiation and propagation are quite different and modeling them separately produces a higher degree of accuracy, but then the question that continually arises is 'what is a crack?' The total life prediction in a fracture mechanics model presently hinges on the assumption of an initial crack length, and this length can significantly affect the total life prediction. The size of the initial crack is generally taken to be in the range of 0.01 in. to 0.2 in. Several researchers have used various techniques to determine the beginning of the crack propagation stage. Barhorst showed the relationship between dynamic stiffness changes and crack propagation. Acoustic emissions, which are stress waves produced by the sudden movement of stressed materials, have also been successfully used to monitor the growth of cracks in tensile and fatigue specimens. The purpose of this research is to determine whether acoustic emissions can be used to define the beginning of crack propagation in a gear using a single-tooth bending fatigue test.

  13. On crack initiation in notched, cross-plied polymer matrix composites

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yang, Q. D.; Schesser, D.; Niess, M.; Wright, P.; Mavrogordato, M. N.; Sinclair, I.; Spearing, S. M.; Cox, B. N.

    2015-05-01

    The physics of crack initiation in a polymer matrix composite are investigated by varying the modeling choices made in simulations and comparing the resulting predictions with high-resolution in situ images of cracks. Experimental data were acquired using synchrotron-radiation computed tomography (SRCT) at a resolution on the order of 1 μm, which provides detailed measurement of the location, shape, and size of small cracks, as well as the crack opening and shear displacements. These data prove sufficient to discriminate among competing physical descriptions of crack initiation. Simulations are executed with a high-fidelity formulation, the augmented finite element method (A-FEM), which permits consideration of coupled damage mechanisms, including both discrete cracks and fine-scale continuum damage. The discrete cracks are assumed to be nonlinear fracture events, governed by reasonably general mixed-mode cohesive laws. Crack initiation is described in terms of strength parameters within the cohesive laws, so that the cohesive law provides a unified model for crack initiation and growth. Whereas the cracks investigated are typically 1 mm or less in length, the fine-scale continuum damage refers to irreversible matrix deformation occurring over gauge lengths extending down to the fiber diameter (0.007 mm). We find that the location and far-field stress for crack initiation are predicted accurately only if the variations of local stress within plies and in the presence of stress concentrators (notches, etc.) are explicitly computed and used in initiation criteria; stress redistribution due to matrix nonlinearity that occurs prior to crack initiation is accounted for; and a mixed-mode criterion is used for crack initiation. If these factors are not all considered, which is the case for commonly used failure criteria, predictions of the location and far-field stress for initiation are not accurate.

  14. Microstructural indicators of transition mechanisms in time-dependent fatigue crack growth in nickel base superalloys

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Heeter, Ann E.

    Gas turbine engines are an important part of power generation in modern society, especially in the field of aerospace. Aerospace engines are design to last approximately 30 years and the engine components must be designed to survive for the life of the engine or to be replaced at regular intervals to ensure consumer safety. Fatigue crack growth analysis is a vital component of design for an aerospace component. Crack growth modeling and design methods date back to an origin around 1950 with a high rate of accuracy. The new generation of aerospace engines is designed to be efficient as possible and require higher operating temperatures than ever seen before in previous generations. These higher temperatures place more stringent requirements on the material crack growth performance under creep and time dependent conditions. Typically the types of components which are subject to these requirements are rotating disk components which are made from advanced materials such as nickel base superalloys. Traditionally crack growth models have looked at high temperature crack growth purely as a function of temperature and assumed that all crack growth was either controlled by a cycle dependent or time dependent mechanism. This new analysis is trying to evaluate the transition between cycle-dependent and time-dependent mechanism and the microstructural markers that characterize this transitional behavior. The physical indications include both the fracture surface morphology as well as the shape of the crack front. The research will evaluate whether crack tunneling occurs and whether it consistently predicts a transition from cycle-dependent crack growth to time-dependent crack growth. The study is part of a larger research program trying to include the effects of geometry, mission profile and environmental effects, in addition to temperature effects, as a part of the overall crack growth system. The outcome will provide evidence for various transition types and correlate those physical attributes back to the material mechanisms to improve predictive modeling capability.

  15. Analysis of the progressive failure of brittle matrix composites

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Thomas, David J.

    1995-01-01

    This report investigates two of the most common modes of localized failures, namely, periodic fiber-bridged matrix cracks and transverse matrix cracks. A modification of Daniels' bundle theory is combined with Weibull's weakest link theory to model the statistical distribution of the periodic matrix cracking strength for an individual layer. Results of the model predictions are compared with experimental data from the open literature. Extensions to the model are made to account for possible imperfections within the layer (i.e., nonuniform fiber lengths, irregular crack spacing, and degraded in-situ fiber properties), and the results of these studies are presented. A generalized shear-lag analysis is derived which is capable of modeling the development of transverse matrix cracks in material systems having a general multilayer configuration and under states of full in-plane load. A method for computing the effective elastic properties for the damaged layer at the global level is detailed based upon the solution for the effects of the damage at the local level. This methodology is general in nature and is therefore also applicable to (0(sub m)/90(sub n))(sub s) systems. The characteristic stress-strain response for more general cases is shown to be qualitatively correct (experimental data is not available for a quantitative evaluation), and the damage evolution is recorded in terms of the matrix crack density as a function of the applied strain. Probabilistic effects are introduced to account for the statistical nature of the material strengths, thus allowing cumulative distribution curves for the probability of failure to be generated for each of the example laminates. Additionally, Oh and Finney's classic work on fracture location in brittle materials is extended and combined with the shear-lag analysis. The result is an analytical form for predicting the probability density function for the location of the next transverse crack occurrence within a crack bounded region. The results of this study verified qualitatively the validity of assuming a uniform crack spacing (as was done in the shear-lag model).

  16. Effect of a Diffusion Zone on Fatigue Crack Propagation in Layered FGMs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hauber, Brett; Brockman, Robert; Paulino, Glaucio

    2008-02-01

    Research into functionally graded materials (FGMs) has led to advances in our ability to analyze cracks. However, two prominent aspects remain relatively unexplored: 1) development and validation of modeling methods for fatigue crack propagation in FGMs, and 2) experimental validation of stress intensity models in engineered materials such as two phase monolithic and graded materials. This work addresses some of these problems for a limited set of conditions, material systems (e.g., Ti/TiB), and material gradients. Numerical analyses are conducted for single edge notch bend (SENB) specimens. Stress intensity factors are computed using the specialized finite element code I-Franc (Illinois Fracture Analysis Code), which is tailored for both homogeneous and graded materials, as well as Franc2DL and ABAQUS. Crack extension is considered by means of specified crack increments, together with fatigue evaluations to predict crack propagation life. Results will be used to determine linear material gradient parameters that are significant for prediction of fatigue crack growth behavior.

  17. Structural and leakage integrity of tubes affected by circumferential cracking

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hernalsteen, P.

    1997-02-01

    In this paper the author deals with the notion that circumferential cracks are generally considered unacceptable. He argues for the need to differentiate two facets of such cracks: the issue of the size and growth rate of a crack; and the issue of the structural strength and leakage potential of the tube in the presence of the crack. In this paper the author tries to show that the second point is not a major concern for such cracks. The paper presents data on the structural strength or burst pressure characteristics of steam generator tubes derived from models and data basesmore » of experimental work. He also presents a leak rate model, and compares the performance of circumferential and axial cracks as far as burst strength and leak rate. The final conclusion is that subject to improvement in NDE capabilities (sizing, detection, growth), that Steam Generator Defect Specific Management can be used to allow circumferentially degraded tubes to remain in service.« less

  18. A conductive grating sensor for online quantitative monitoring of fatigue crack.

    PubMed

    Li, Peiyuan; Cheng, Li; Yan, Xiaojun; Jiao, Shengbo; Li, Yakun

    2018-05-01

    Online quantitative monitoring of crack damage due to fatigue is a critical challenge for structural health monitoring systems assessing structural safety. To achieve online quantitative monitoring of fatigue crack, a novel conductive grating sensor based on the principle of electrical potential difference is proposed. The sensor consists of equidistant grating channels to monitor the fatigue crack length and conductive bars to provide the circuit path. An online crack monitoring system is established to verify the sensor's capability. The experimental results prove that the sensor is suitable for online quantitative monitoring of fatigue crack. A finite element model for the sensor is also developed to optimize the sensitivity of crack monitoring, which is defined by the rate of sensor resistance change caused by the break of the first grating channel. Analysis of the model shows that the sensor sensitivity can be enhanced by reducing the number of grating channels and increasing their resistance and reducing the resistance of the conductive bar.

  19. A conductive grating sensor for online quantitative monitoring of fatigue crack

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Peiyuan; Cheng, Li; Yan, Xiaojun; Jiao, Shengbo; Li, Yakun

    2018-05-01

    Online quantitative monitoring of crack damage due to fatigue is a critical challenge for structural health monitoring systems assessing structural safety. To achieve online quantitative monitoring of fatigue crack, a novel conductive grating sensor based on the principle of electrical potential difference is proposed. The sensor consists of equidistant grating channels to monitor the fatigue crack length and conductive bars to provide the circuit path. An online crack monitoring system is established to verify the sensor's capability. The experimental results prove that the sensor is suitable for online quantitative monitoring of fatigue crack. A finite element model for the sensor is also developed to optimize the sensitivity of crack monitoring, which is defined by the rate of sensor resistance change caused by the break of the first grating channel. Analysis of the model shows that the sensor sensitivity can be enhanced by reducing the number of grating channels and increasing their resistance and reducing the resistance of the conductive bar.

  20. 3D multiscale crack propagation using the XFEM applied to a gas turbine blade

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Holl, Matthias; Rogge, Timo; Loehnert, Stefan; Wriggers, Peter; Rolfes, Raimund

    2014-01-01

    This work presents a new multiscale technique to investigate advancing cracks in three dimensional space. This fully adaptive multiscale technique is designed to take into account cracks of different length scales efficiently, by enabling fine scale domains locally in regions of interest, i.e. where stress concentrations and high stress gradients occur. Due to crack propagation, these regions change during the simulation process. Cracks are modeled using the extended finite element method, such that an accurate and powerful numerical tool is achieved. Restricting ourselves to linear elastic fracture mechanics, the -integral yields an accurate solution of the stress intensity factors, and with the criterion of maximum hoop stress, a precise direction of growth. If necessary, the on the finest scale computed crack surface is finally transferred to the corresponding scale. In a final step, the model is applied to a quadrature point of a gas turbine blade, to compute crack growth on the microscale of a real structure.

  1. Simulation of Low Velocity Impact Induced Inter- and Intra-Laminar Damage of Composite Beams Based on XFEM

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sun, Wei; Guan, Zhidong; Li, Zengshan

    2017-12-01

    In this paper, the Inter-Fiber Fracture (IFF) criterion of Puck failure theory based on the eXtended Finite Element Method (XFEM) was implemented in ABAQUS code to predict the intra-laminar crack initiation of unidirectional (UD) composite laminate. The transverse crack path in the matrix can be simulated accurately by the presented method. After the crack initiation, the propagation of the crack is simulated by Cohesive Zoom Model (CZM), in which the displacement discontinuities and stress concentration caused by matrix crack is introduced into the finite element (FE) model. Combined with the usage of the enriched element interface, which can be used to simulate the inter-laminar delamination crack, the Low Velocity Impact (LVI) induced damage of UD composite laminate beam with a typical stacking of composite laminates [05/903]S is studied. A complete crack initiation and propagation process was simulated and the numerical results obtained by the XFEM are consistent with the experimental results.

  2. Fatigue crack growth model RANDOM2 user manual. Appendix 1: Development of advanced methodologies for probabilistic constitutive relationships of material strength models

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Boyce, Lola; Lovelace, Thomas B.

    1989-01-01

    FORTRAN program RANDOM2 is presented in the form of a user's manual. RANDOM2 is based on fracture mechanics using a probabilistic fatigue crack growth model. It predicts the random lifetime of an engine component to reach a given crack size. Details of the theoretical background, input data instructions, and a sample problem illustrating the use of the program are included.

  3. Final Report: Multi-Scale Analysis of Deformation and Failure in Polycrystalline Titanium Alloys Under High Strain-Rates

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-12-28

    Masoud Anahid, Mahendra K. Samal , and Somnath Ghosh. Dwell fatigue crack nucleation model based on crystal plasticity finite element simulations of...induced crack nucleation in polycrystals. Model. Simul. Mater. Sci. Eng., 17, 064009. 19. Anahid, M., Samal , M. K. & Ghosh, S. (2011). Dwell fatigue...Jour. Plas., 24:428–454, 2008. 4. M. Anahid, M. K. Samal , and S. Ghosh. Dwell fatigue crack nucleation model based on crystal plasticity finite

  4. The influence of acetabular bone cracks in the press-fit hip replacement: Numerical and experimental analysis.

    PubMed

    Ramos, A; Duarte, R J; Relvas, C; Completo, A; Simões, J A

    2013-07-01

    The press-fit hip acetabular prosthesis implantation can cause crack formation in the thin regions surrounding the acetabular. As a consequence the presence of cracks in this region can lead to poor fixation and fibrous tissue formation. Numerical and experimental models of commercial press-fit hip replacements were developed to compare the behavior between the intact and implanted joints. Numerical models with an artificial crack and without crack were considered. The iliac and the femur were created through 3D geometry acquisition based on composite human replicas and 3D-Finite Element models were generated. The mechanical behavior was assessed numerically and experimentally considering the principal strains. The comparison between Finite Element model predictions and experimental measurements revealed a maximum difference of 9%. Similar distribution of the principal strains around the acetabular cavity was obtained for the intact and implanted models. When comparing the Von Mises stresses, it is possible to observe that the intact model is the one that presents the highest stress values in the entire acetabular cavity surface. The crack in the posterior side changes significantly the principal strain distribution, suggesting bone loss after hip replacement. Relatively to micromotions, these were higher on the superior side of the acetabular cavity and can change the implant stability and bone ingrowth. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Mechanical Model for Dynamic Behavior of Concrete Under Impact Loading

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sun, Yuanxiang

    Concrete is a geo-material which is used substantively in the civil building and military safeguard. One coupled model of damage and plasticity to describe the complex behavior of concrete subjected to impact loading is proposed in this research work. The concrete is assumed as homogeneous continuum with pre-existing micro-cracks and micro-voids. Damage to concrete is caused due to micro-crack nucleation, growth and coalescence, and defined as the probability of fracture at a given crack density. It induces a decrease of strength and stiffness of concrete. Compaction of concrete is physically a collapse of the material voids. It produces the plastic strain in the concrete and, at the same time, an increase of the bulk modulus. In terms of crack growth model, micro-cracks are activated, and begin to propagate gradually. When crack density reaches a critical value, concrete takes place the smashing destroy. The model parameters for mortar are determined using plate impact experiment with uni-axial strain state. Comparison with the test results shows that the proposed model can give consistent prediction of the impact behavior of concrete. The proposed model may be used to design and analysis of concrete structures under impact and shock loading. This work is supported by State Key Laboratory of Explosion science and Technology, Beijing Institute of Technology (YBKT14-02).

  6. Multi-phase-field modeling of anisotropic crack propagation for polycrystalline materials

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nguyen, Thanh-Tung; Réthoré, Julien; Yvonnet, Julien; Baietto, Marie-Christine

    2017-08-01

    A new multi-phase-field method is developed for modeling the fracture of polycrystals at the microstructural level. Inter and transgranular cracking, as well as anisotropic effects of both elasticity and preferential cleavage directions within each randomly oriented crystal are taken into account. For this purpose, the proposed phase field formulation includes: (a) a smeared description of grain boundaries as cohesive zones avoiding defining an additional phase for grains; (b) an anisotropic phase field model; (c) a multi-phase field formulation where each preferential cleavage direction is associated with a damage (phase field) variable. The obtained framework allows modeling interactions and competition between grains and grain boundary cracks, as well as their effects on the effective response of the material. The proposed model is illustrated through several numerical examples involving a full description of complex crack initiation and propagation within 2D and 3D models of polycrystals.

  7. Cohesive Modeling of Transverse Cracking in Laminates with a Single Layer of Elements per Ply

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    VanDerMeer, Frans P.; Davila, Carlos G.

    2013-01-01

    This study aims to bridge the gap between classical understanding of transverse cracking in cross-ply laminates and recent computational methods for the modeling of progressive laminate failure. Specifically, the study investigates under what conditions a finite element model with cohesive X-FEM cracks can reproduce the in situ effect for the ply strength. It is shown that it is possible to do so with a single element across the thickness of the ply, provided that the interface stiffness is properly selected. The optimal value for this interface stiffness is derived with an analytical shear lag model. It is also shown that, when the appropriate statistical variation of properties has been applied, models with a single element through the thickness of a ply can predict the density of transverse matrix cracks

  8. Random polycrystals of grains containing cracks: Model ofquasistatic elastic behavior for fractured systems

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Berryman, James G.; Grechka, Vladimir

    2006-07-08

    A model study on fractured systems was performed using aconcept that treats isotropic cracked systems as ensembles of crackedgrains by analogy to isotropic polycrystalline elastic media. Theapproach has two advantages: (a) Averaging performed is ensembleaveraging, thus avoiding the criticism legitimately leveled at mosteffective medium theories of quasistatic elastic behavior for crackedmedia based on volume concentrations of inclusions. Since crack effectsare largely independent of the volume they occupy in the composite, sucha non-volume-based method offers an appealingly simple modelingalternative. (b) The second advantage is that both polycrystals andfractured media are stiffer than might otherwise be expected, due tonatural bridging effects ofmore » the strong components. These same effectshave also often been interpreted as crack-crack screening inhigh-crack-density fractured media, but there is no inherent conflictbetween these two interpretations of this phenomenon. Results of thestudy are somewhat mixed. The spread in elastic constants observed in aset of numerical experiments is found to be very comparable to the spreadin values contained between the Reuss and Voigt bounds for thepolycrystal model. However, computed Hashin-Shtrikman bounds are much tootight to be in agreement with the numerical data, showing thatpolycrystals of cracked grains tend to violate some implicit assumptionsof the Hashin-Shtrikman bounding approach. However, the self-consistentestimates obtained for the random polycrystal model are nevertheless verygood estimators of the observed average behavior.« less

  9. Post-cracking characteristics of high performance fiber reinforced cementitious composites

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Suwannakarn, Supat W.

    The application of high performance fiber reinforced cement composites (HPFRCC) in structural systems depends primarily on the material's tensile response, which is a direct function of fiber and matrix characteristics, the bond between them, and the fiber content or volume fraction. The objective of this dissertation is to evaluate and model the post-cracking behavior of HPFRCC. In particular, it focused on the influential parameters controlling tensile behavior and the variability associated with them. The key parameters considered include: the stress and strain at first cracking, the stress and strain at maximum post-cracking, the shape of the stress-strain or stress-elongation response, the multiple cracking process, the shape of the resistance curve after crack localization, the energy associated with the multiple cracking process, and the stress versus crack opening response of a single crack. Both steel fibers and polymeric fibers, perceived to have the greatest potential for current commercial applications, are considered. The main variables covered include fiber type (Torex, Hooked, PVA, and Spectra) and fiber volume fraction (ranging from 0.75% to 2.0%). An extensive experimental program is carried out using direct tensile tests and stress-versus crack opening displacement tests on notched tensile prisms. The key experimental results were analysed and modeled using simple prediction equations which, combined with a composite mechanics approach, allowed for predicting schematic simplified stress-strain and stress-displacement response curves for use in structural modeling. The experimental data show that specimens reinforced with Torex fibers performs best, follows by Hooked and Spectra fibers, then PVA fibers. Significant variability in key parameters was observed througout suggesting that variability must be studied further. The new information obtained can be used as input for material models for finite element analysis and can provide greater confidence in using the HPFRC composites in structural applications. It also provides a good foundation to integrate these composites in conventional structural analysis and design.

  10. Detection and characterization of fatigue cracks in thin metal plates by low frequency resonant model analysis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wincheski, B.; Namkung, M.; Birt, E. A.

    1992-01-01

    Low-frequency resonant model analysis, a technique for the detection and characterization of fatigue cracks in thin metal plates, which could be adapted to rapid scan or large area testing, is considered. Experimental data displaying a direct correlation between fatigue crack geometry and resonance frequency for the second vibrational plate mode are presented. FEM is used to calculate the mechanical behavior of the plates, and provides a comparison basis for the experimentally determined resonance frequency values. The waveform of the acoustic emission generated at the resonant frequency is examined; it provides the basis for a model of the interaction of fatigue crack faces during plate vibration.

  11. The upper bounds of reduced axial and shear moduli in cross-ply laminates with matrix cracks

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lee, Jong-Won; Allen, D. H.; Harris, C. E.

    1991-01-01

    The present study proposes a mathematical model utilizing the internal state variable concept for predicting the upper bounds of the reduced axial and shear stiffnesses in cross-ply laminates with matrix cracks. The displacement components at the matrix crack surfaces are explicitly expressed in terms of the observable axial and shear strains and the undamaged material properties. The reduced axial and shear stiffnesses are predicted for glass/epoxy and graphite/epoxy laminates. Comparison of the model with other theoretical and experimental studies is also presented to confirm direct applicability of the model to angle-ply laminates with matrix cracks subjected to general in-plane loading.

  12. Ultrasound data for laboratory calibration of an analytical model to calculate crack depth on asphalt pavements.

    PubMed

    Franesqui, Miguel A; Yepes, Jorge; García-González, Cándida

    2017-08-01

    This article outlines the ultrasound data employed to calibrate in the laboratory an analytical model that permits the calculation of the depth of partial-depth surface-initiated cracks on bituminous pavements using this non-destructive technique. This initial calibration is required so that the model provides sufficient precision during practical application. The ultrasonic pulse transit times were measured on beam samples of different asphalt mixtures (semi-dense asphalt concrete AC-S; asphalt concrete for very thin layers BBTM; and porous asphalt PA). The cracks on the laboratory samples were simulated by means of notches of variable depths. With the data of ultrasound transmission time ratios, curve-fittings were carried out on the analytical model, thus determining the regression parameters and their statistical dispersion. The calibrated models obtained from laboratory datasets were subsequently applied to auscultate the evolution of the crack depth after microwaves exposure in the research article entitled "Top-down cracking self-healing of asphalt pavements with steel filler from industrial waste applying microwaves" (Franesqui et al., 2017) [1].

  13. Predicting overload-affected fatigue crack growth in steels

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Skorupa, M.; Skorupa, A.; Ladecki, B.

    1996-12-01

    The ability of semi-empirical crack closure models to predict the effect of overloads on fatigue crack growth in low-alloy steels has been investigated. With this purpose, the CORPUS model developed for aircraft metals and spectra has been checked first through comparisons between the simulated and observed results for a low-alloy steel. The CORPUS predictions of crack growth under several types of simple load histories containing overloads appeared generally unconservative which prompted the authors to formulate a new model, more suitable for steels. With the latter approach, the assumed evolution of the crack opening stress during the delayed retardation stage hasmore » been based on experimental results reported for various steels. For all the load sequences considered, the predictions from the proposed model appeared to be by far more accurate than those from CORPUS. Based on the analysis results, the capability of semi-empirical prediction concepts to cover experimentally observed trends that have been reported for sequences with overloads is discussed. Finally, possibilities of improving the model performance are considered.« less

  14. Surface and through crack problems in orthotropic plates

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Erdogan, F.; Wu, B.-H.

    1988-01-01

    The present treatment of the general mode I crack problem in bending- and membrane-loaded orthotropic plates proceeds by formulating the bending problem for a series of planar and through-cracks; by independently varying the six independent constants, the effect of material orthotropy on the stress intensity factor is determined. The surface-crack problem is then formulated by means of the line-spring model, using a transverse-shear theory of plate bending. Attention is given to composite laminates with through-cracks or semielliptic surface cracks. A significant effect is noted for material orthotropy.

  15. Three-Dimensional Seismic Structure of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge: An Investigation of Tectonic, Magmatic, and Hydrothermal Processes in the Rainbow Area

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dunn, Robert A.; Arai, Ryuta; Eason, Deborah E.; Canales, J. Pablo; Sohn, Robert A.

    2017-12-01

    To test models of tectonic, magmatic, and hydrothermal processes along slow-spreading mid-ocean ridges, we analyzed seismic refraction data from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge INtegrated Experiments at Rainbow (MARINER) seismic and geophysical mapping experiment. Centered at the Rainbow area of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (36°14'N), this study examines a section of ridge with volcanically active segments and a relatively amagmatic ridge offset that hosts the ultramafic Rainbow massif and its high-temperature hydrothermal vent field. Tomographic images of the crust and upper mantle show segment-scale variations in crustal structure, thickness, and the crust-mantle transition, which forms a vertical gradient rather than a sharp boundary. There is little definitive evidence for large regions of sustained high temperatures and melt in the lower crust or upper mantle along the ridge axes, suggesting that melts rising from the mantle intrude as small intermittent magma bodies at crustal and subcrustal levels. The images reveal large rotated crustal blocks, which extend to mantle depths in some places, corresponding to off-axis normal fault locations. Low velocities cap the Rainbow massif, suggesting an extensive near-surface alteration zone due to low-temperature fluid-rock reactions. Within the interior of the massif, seismic images suggest a mixture of peridotite and gabbroic intrusions, with little serpentinization. Here diffuse microearthquake activity indicates a brittle deformation regime supporting a broad network of cracks. Beneath the Rainbow hydrothermal vent field, fluid circulation is largely driven by the heat of small cooling melt bodies intruded into the base of the massif and channeled by the crack network and shallow faults.

  16. Numerical analysis of mixing by sharp-edge-based acoustofluidic micromixer

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nama, Nitesh; Huang, Po-Hsun; Jun Huang, Tony; Costanzo, Francesco

    2015-11-01

    Recently, acoustically oscillated sharp-edges have been employed to realize rapid and homogeneous mixing at microscales (Huang, Lab on a Chip, 13, 2013). Here, we present a numerical model, qualitatively validated by experimental results, to analyze the acoustic mixing inside a sharp-edge-based micromixer. We extend our previous numerical model (Nama, Lab on a Chip, 14, 2014) to combine the Generalized Lagrangian Mean (GLM) theory with the convection-diffusion equation, while also allowing for the presence of a background flow as observed in a typical sharp-edge-based micromixer. We employ a perturbation approach to divide the flow variables into zeroth-, first- and second-order fields which are successively solved to obtain the Lagrangian mean velocity. The Langrangian mean velocity and the background flow velocity are further employed with the convection-diffusion equation to obtain the concentration profile. We characterize the effects of various operational and geometrical parameters to suggest potential design changes for improving the mixing performance of the sharp-edge-based micromixer. Lastly, we investigate the possibility of generation of a spatio-temporally controllable concentration gradient by placing sharp-edge structures inside the microchannel.

  17. Lock-in of elastically mounted airfoils at a 90° angle of attack

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ehrmann, R. S.; Loftin, K. M.; Johnson, S.; White, E. B.

    2014-01-01

    Reducing vortex-induced vibration (VIV) of elastically mounted cylinders has applications to petroleum, nuclear, and civil engineering. One simple method is streamlining the cylinder into an airfoil shape. However, if flow direction changes, an elastic airfoil could experience similar oscillations with even more drag. To better understand a general airfoil's response, three elastically mounted airfoil shapes are tested at a 90° angle of attack in a 3 ft by 4 ft wind tunnel. The shapes are a NACA 0018, a sharp leading- and trailing-edge (sharp-sharp) model, and a round leading- and trailing-edge (round-round) model. Mass-damping ranges from 0.96 to 1.44. For comparison to canonical VIV research, a cylinder is also tested. Since lock-in occurs near Rec=125×103, the models are also tested with a trip strip. The NACA 0018 and sharp-sharp configuration show nearly identical responses. The cylinder and round-round airfoil have responses five to eight times larger. Thus, the existence of a single sharp edge is sufficient to greatly reduce VIV at 90° angle of attack. Whereas the cylinder and round-round maximum response amplitudes are similar, cylinder lock-in occurs over a velocity range three times larger than the round-round. The tripped cylinder and round-round models' response is attenuated by 70% compared to their respective clean configurations. Hysteresis is only observed in the circular cylinder and round-round models. Hotwire data indicates the clean cylinder has a unique vortex pattern compared to the other configurations.

  18. A Micromechanics-Based Damage Model for [+/- Theta/90n]s Composite Laminates

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mayugo, Joan-Andreu; Camanho, Pedro P.; Maimi, Pere; Davila, Carlos G.

    2006-01-01

    A new damage model based on a micromechanical analysis of cracked [+/- Theta/90n]s laminates subjected to multiaxial loads is proposed. The model predicts the onset and accumulation of transverse matrix cracks in uniformly stressed laminates, the effect of matrix cracks on the stiffness of the laminate, as well as the ultimate failure of the laminate. The model also accounts for the effect of the ply thickness on the ply strength. Predictions relating the elastic properties of several laminates and multiaxial loads are presented.

  19. Matrix fatigue crack development in a notched continuous fiber SCS-6/Ti-15-3 composite

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hillberry, B. M.; Johnson, W. S.

    1990-01-01

    In this study the extensive matrix fatigue cracking that has been observed in notched SCS-6/Ti-15-3 composites is investigated. Away from the notch uniform spacing of the fatigue cracks develops. Closer to the notch, fiber-matrix debonding which occurs increases the crack spacing. Crack spacing and debond length determined from shear-lag cylinder models compare favorably with experimental observations. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) fractography showed that the principal fatigue crack initiation occurred around the zero degree fibers. Interface failure in the 90 degree plies does not lead to the development of the primary fatigue cracking.

  20. Matrix fatigue crack development in a notched continuous fiber SCS-6/Ti-15-3 composite

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hillberry, B. M.; Johnson, W. S.

    1990-01-01

    In this study the extensive matrix fatigue cracking that has been observed in notched SCS-6/Ti-15-3 composites is investigated. Away from the notch a uniform spacing of the fatigue cracks develops. Closer to the notch, fiber-matrix debonding which occurs increases the crack spacing. Crack spacing and debond length determined from shear-lag cylinder models compare favorably with experimental observations. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) fractography showed that the principal fatigue crack initiation occurred around the zero degree fibers. Interface failure in the 90 degree plies does not lead to the development of the primary fatigue cracking.

  1. Crack-shape effects for indentation fracture toughness measurements

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Smith, S.M.; Scattergood, R.O.

    1992-02-01

    Various methods to measure fracture toughness using indentation precracks were compared using soda-lime glass as a test material. In situ measurements of crack size as a function of applied stress allow both the toughness K[sub c] and the residual-stress factor [chi] to be independently determined. Analysis of the data showed that stress intensity factors based on classical half-penny crack shapes overestimate toughness values and produce an apparent R-curve effect. This is due to a constraint on crack shape imposed by primary lateral cracks in soda-lime glass. Models based on elliptical cracks were developed to account for the crack-shape effects.

  2. 75 FR 7945 - Airworthiness Directives; Augustair, Inc. Models 2150, 2150A, and 2180 Airplanes

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-02-23

    ... inspect the vertical stabilizer front spar for cracks and loose fasteners, repair any cracks and loose fasteners found, and reinforce the vertical stabilizer spar regardless if cracks are found. This AD results from six reports of airplanes with a cracked vertical stabilizer front spar. We are issuing this AD to...

  3. 76 FR 36395 - Airworthiness Directives; Piper Aircraft, Inc. Models PA-24, PA-24-250, and PA-24-260 Airplanes

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-06-22

    ... stabilator horn assembly or repetitive inspection of the stabilator horn assembly for corrosion or cracks with replacement of the stabilator horn assembly if any corrosion or cracks are found. This proposed AD... to detect and correct corrosion or cracks in the stabilator horn assembly. Corrosion or cracks could...

  4. Initiation and growth of multiple-site damage in the riveted lap joint of a curved stiffened fuselage panel: An experimental and analytical study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ahmed, Abubaker Ali

    As part of the structural integrity research of the National Aging Aircraft Research Program, a comprehensive study on multiple-site damage (MSD) initiation and growth in a pristine lap-joint fuselage panel has been conducted. The curved stiffened fuselage panel was tested at the Full-Scale Aircraft Structural Test Evaluation and Research (FASTER) facility located at the Federal Aviation Administration William J. Hughes Technical Center. A strain survey test was conducted to verify proper load application. The panel was then subjected to a fatigue test with constant-amplitude cyclic loading. The applied loading spectrum included underload marker cycles so that crack growth history could be reconstructed from post-test fractographic examinations. Crack formation and growth were monitored via nondestructive and high-magnification visual inspections. Strain gage measurements recorded during the strain survey tests indicated that the inner surface of the skin along the upper rivet row of the lap joint experienced high tensile stresses due to local bending. During the fatigue loading, cracks were detected by eddy-current inspections at multiple rivet holes along the upper rivet row. Through-thickness cracks were detected visually after about 80% of the fatigue life. Once MSD cracks from two adjacent rivet holes linked up, there was a quick deterioration in the structural integrity of the lap joint. The linkup resulted in a 2.87" (72.9-mm) lead fatigue crack that rapidly propagated across 12 rivet holes and crossed over into the next skin bay, at which stage the fatigue test was terminated. A post-fatigue residual strength test was then conducted by loading the panel quasi-statically up to final failure. The panel failed catastrophically when the crack extended instantaneously across three additional bays. Post-test fractographic examinations of the fracture surfaces in the lap joint of the fuselage panel were conducted to characterize subsurface crack initiation and growth. Results showed evidence of fretting damage and crack initiation at multiple locations near the rivet holes along the faying surface of the skin. The subsurface cracks grew significantly along the faying surface before reaching the outer surface of the skin, forming elliptical crack fronts. A finite element model (FE) of the panel was constructed and geometrically-nonlinear analyses conducted to determine strain distribution under the applied loads. The FE model was validated by comparing the analysis results with the strain gage measurements recorded during the strain survey test. The validated FE model was then used to determine stress-intensity factors at the crack tips. Stress-intensity factor results indicated that crack growth in the lap joint was under mixed-mode; however, the opening-mode stress intensity factor was dominant. The stress-intensity factors computed from the FE analysis were used to conduct cycle-by-cycle integration of fatigue crack growth. In the cycle-by-cycle integration, the NASGRO crack growth model was used with its parameters selected to account for the effects of plasticity-induced crack closure and the test environment on crack growth rate. Fatigue crack growth predictions from cycle-by-cycle computation were in good agreement with the experimental measured crack growth data. The results of the study provide key insights into the natural development and growth of MSD cracks in the pristine lap joint. The data provided by the study represent a valuable source for the evaluation and validation of analytical methodologies used for predicting MSD crack initiation and growth.

  5. Highly stretchable polymer semiconductor films through the nanoconfinement effect

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xu, Jie; Wang, Sihong; Wang, Ging-Ji Nathan; Zhu, Chenxin; Luo, Shaochuan; Jin, Lihua; Gu, Xiaodan; Chen, Shucheng; Feig, Vivian R.; To, John W. F.; Rondeau-Gagné, Simon; Park, Joonsuk; Schroeder, Bob C.; Lu, Chien; Oh, Jin Young; Wang, Yanming; Kim, Yun-Hi; Yan, He; Sinclair, Robert; Zhou, Dongshan; Xue, Gi; Murmann, Boris; Linder, Christian; Cai, Wei; Tok, Jeffery B.-H.; Chung, Jong Won; Bao, Zhenan

    2017-01-01

    Soft and conformable wearable electronics require stretchable semiconductors, but existing ones typically sacrifice charge transport mobility to achieve stretchability. We explore a concept based on the nanoconfinement of polymers to substantially improve the stretchability of polymer semiconductors, without affecting charge transport mobility. The increased polymer chain dynamics under nanoconfinement significantly reduces the modulus of the conjugated polymer and largely delays the onset of crack formation under strain. As a result, our fabricated semiconducting film can be stretched up to 100% strain without affecting mobility, retaining values comparable to that of amorphous silicon. The fully stretchable transistors exhibit high biaxial stretchability with minimal change in on current even when poked with a sharp object. We demonstrate a skinlike finger-wearable driver for a light-emitting diode.

  6. Force Modelling in Orthogonal Cutting Considering Flank Wear Effect

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rathod, Kanti Bhikhubhai; Lalwani, Devdas I.

    2017-05-01

    In the present work, an attempt has been made to provide a predictive cutting force model during orthogonal cutting by combining two different force models, that is, a force model for a perfectly sharp tool plus considering the effect of edge radius and a force model for a worn tool. The first force model is for a perfectly sharp tool that is based on Oxley's predictive machining theory for orthogonal cutting as the Oxley's model is for perfectly sharp tool, the effect of cutting edge radius (hone radius) is added and improve model is presented. The second force model is based on worn tool (flank wear) that was proposed by Waldorf. Further, the developed combined force model is also used to predict flank wear width using inverse approach. The performance of the developed combined total force model is compared with the previously published results for AISI 1045 and AISI 4142 materials and found reasonably good agreement.

  7. Fatigue crack growth and life prediction under mixed-mode loading

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sajith, S.; Murthy, K. S. R. K.; Robi, P. S.

    2018-04-01

    Fatigue crack growth life as a function of crack length is essential for the prevention of catastrophic failures from damage tolerance perspective. In damage tolerance design approach, principles of fracture mechanics are usually applied to predict the fatigue life of structural components. Numerical prediction of crack growth versus number of cycles is essential in damage tolerance design. For cracks under mixed mode I/II loading, modified Paris law (d/a d N =C (ΔKe q ) m ) along with different equivalent stress intensity factor (ΔKeq) model is used for fatigue crack growth rate prediction. There are a large number of ΔKeq models available for the mixed mode I/II loading, the selection of proper ΔKeq model has significant impact on fatigue life prediction. In the present investigation, the performance of ΔKeq models in fatigue life prediction is compared with respect to the experimental findings as there are no guidelines/suggestions available on the selection of these models for accurate and/or conservative predictions of fatigue life. Within the limitations of availability of experimental data and currently available numerical simulation techniques, the results of present study attempt to outline models that would provide accurate and conservative life predictions. Such a study aid the numerical analysts or engineers in the proper selection of the model for numerical simulation of the fatigue life. Moreover, the present investigation also suggests a procedure to enhance the accuracy of life prediction using Paris law.

  8. Inclusion models of tensile fracture in fiber-reinforced brittle-matrix composites. Ph.D. Thesis

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Tsai, W.

    1993-12-31

    Inclusion models of tensile fracture in fiber-reinforced brittle-matrix composites are proposed in this study. Three stages of matrix cracking including initiation of microcracks, propagation of a bridged crack and multiplication of periodic cracks are modeled using the unique approach - Eshelby`s equivalent inclusion method. Moreover, the interfacial debonding may occur during matrix cracking and is taken into account by the present analysis. After interfacial debonding initiates, the fiber slides against the friction which is assumed to be constant in chapter 2 and chapter 3. However, the fiber-matrix interfaces are assumed to be Coulomb`s friction controlled in chapter 4. Energy releasemore » rate and crack resistance are obtained analytically. From the fracture criterion, the equivalence of energy release rate and crack resistance, the critical applied stress is also obtained. On the critical applied stress the effects of material parameters such as interfacial frictional stress, interfacial surface energy, volume fraction of fibers, misfit strain are evaluated. These evaluations are important for the purpose of material design. Finally, it is attempted in chapter 5 to solve the crack-inhomogeneity interaction problem inhomogeneities. First, the formulation of two inhomogeneities without overlapping is derived in detail. When one of the inhomogeneities is the penny-shape crack and the other one is the ellipsoidal inhomogeneity, the interaction energy between the crack and the applied stress and the energy release rate of the crack are evaluated. Based on the framework of this chapter, one can deal with the real configuration including many inhomogeneities in the similar way. Also, the misfit strains due to thermal mismatch, phase transformation et al. can be included in the present analysis with no difficulty.« less

  9. A nonlinear interface model applied to masonry structures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lebon, Frédéric; Raffa, Maria Letizia; Rizzoni, Raffaella

    2015-12-01

    In this paper, a new imperfect interface model is presented. The model includes finite strains, micro-cracks and smooth roughness. The model is consistently derived by coupling a homogenization approach for micro-cracked media and arguments of asymptotic analysis. The model is applied to brick/mortar interfaces. Numerical results are presented.

  10. Unusual properties of high-compliance porosity extracted from measurements of pressure-dependent wave velocities in rocks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zaitsev, Vladimir Y.; Radostin, Andrey V.; Pasternak, Elena; Dyskin, Arcady

    2016-04-01

    Conventionally the interpretation of wave velocities and their variations under load is conducted assuming that closable cracks have simple planar shapes, like the popular model of penny-shape cracks. For such cracks, the proportion between complementary variations in different elastic parameters of rocks (such as S- and P-wave velocities) is strictly pre-determined, in particular, it is independent of the crack aspect ratio and rather weakly dependent on the Poisson's ratio of the intact rock. Real rocks, however, contain multitude of cracks of different geometry. Faces of such cracks can exhibit complex modes of interaction when closed by external load, which may result in very different ratios between normal- and shear compliances of such defects. In order to describe the reduction of different elastic moduli, we propose a model in which the compliances of crack-like defects are explicitly decoupled and are not predetermined, so that the ratio q between total normal- and shear- compliances imparted to the rock mass (as well as individual values of these compliances) can be estimated from experimental data on reduction of different elastic moduli (e.g., pressure dependences of P- and S-wave velocities). Physically, the so-extracted ratio q can be interpreted as intrinsic property of individual crack-like defects similar to each other, or as a characteristic of proportion between concentrations of pure normal cracks with very large q and pure shear cracks with q→0. The latter case can correspond, e.g., to saturated cracks in which weakly-compressible liquid prevents crack closing under normal loading. It can be shown that for conventional dry planar cracks, the compliance ratio is q ˜2. The developed model applied to the data on wave-velocity variations with external pressure indicates that elastic properties of the real crack-like defects in rocks can differ considerably from the usually assumed ones. Comparison with experimental data on variations P- and S-wave velocities with hydrostatic compression of different dry and saturated rocks (sandstones, Westerly granite and Webatuck dolomite, etc.) shows that our model is accurate in a wide range of pressures with constant (i.e., pressure-independent) values of parameter q. Furthermore, the determined values of the latter are considerably different from those of conventional cracks. In particular, although all saturated samples have values q <1, the simplified approximation q=0 (i.e., the absence of normal compressibility that is often assumed for wet cracks) leads to large errors in the prediction of complementary variations in the shear- and bulk elastic moduli. Among dry sandstones, the majority have q >2 and many sandstones exhibit unusually high q»1 suggesting quite rough and tortoise nature of real cracks in those rocks. We demonstrate that in such cases, the use of the conventional assumption q ˜2 typical of penny-shape cracks leads to striking inconsistency between the predicted and experimentally observed crack-induced complementary variations in different elastic moduli. Furthermore, among samples with q»1, we revealed numerous examples that demonstrate negative Poisson's ratio at low pressures. VYZ and AVR acknowledge the financial support by RFBR grant No 15-05-05143.

  11. Research on Crack Formation in Gypsum Partitions with Doorway by Means of FEM and Fracture Mechanics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kania, Tomasz; Stawiski, Bohdan

    2017-10-01

    Cracking damage in non-loadbearing internal partition walls is a serious problem that frequently occurs in new buildings within the short term after putting them into service or even before completion of construction. Damage in partition walls is sometimes so great that they cannot be accepted by their occupiers. This problem was illustrated by the example of damage in a gypsum partition wall with doorway attributed to deflection of the slabs beneath and above it. In searching for the deflection which causes damage in masonry walls, fracture mechanics applied to the Finite Element Method (FEM) have been used. For a description of gypsum behaviour, the smeared cracking material model has been selected, where stresses are transferred across the narrowly opened crack until its width reaches the ultimate value. Cracks in the Finite Element models overlapped the real damage observed in the buildings. In order to avoid cracks under the deflection of large floor slabs, the model of a wall with reinforcement in the doorstep zone and a 40 mm thick elastic junction between the partition and ceiling has been analysed.

  12. Simplified modelling and analysis of a rotating Euler-Bernoulli beam with a single cracked edge

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yashar, Ahmed; Ferguson, Neil; Ghandchi-Tehrani, Maryam

    2018-04-01

    The natural frequencies and mode shapes of the flapwise and chordwise vibrations of a rotating cracked Euler-Bernoulli beam are investigated using a simplified method. This approach is based on obtaining the lateral deflection of the cracked rotating beam by subtracting the potential energy of a rotating massless spring, which represents the crack, from the total potential energy of the intact rotating beam. With this new method, it is assumed that the admissible function which satisfies the geometric boundary conditions of an intact beam is valid even in the presence of a crack. Furthermore, the centrifugal stiffness due to rotation is considered as an additional stiffness, which is obtained from the rotational speed and the geometry of the beam. Finally, the Rayleigh-Ritz method is utilised to solve the eigenvalue problem. The validity of the results is confirmed at different rotational speeds, crack depth and location by comparison with solid and beam finite element model simulations. Furthermore, the mode shapes are compared with those obtained from finite element models using a Modal Assurance Criterion (MAC).

  13. Material Characterization for the Analysis of Skin/Stiffener Separation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Davila, Carlos G.; Leone, Frank A.; Song, Kyongchan; Ratcliffe, James G.; Rose, Cheryl A.

    2017-01-01

    Test results show that separation failure in co-cured skin/stiffener interfaces is characterized by dense networks of interacting cracks and crack path migrations that are not present in standard characterization tests for delamination. These crack networks result in measurable large-scale and sub-ply-scale R curve toughening mechanisms, such as fiber bridging, crack migration, and crack delving. Consequently, a number of unknown issues exist regarding the level of analysis detail that is required for sufficient predictive fidelity. The objective of the present paper is to examine some of the difficulties associated with modeling separation failure in stiffened composite structures. A procedure to characterize the interfacial material properties is proposed and the use of simplified models based on empirical interface properties is evaluated.

  14. Predict the fatigue life of crack based on extended finite element method and SVR

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Song, Weizhen; Jiang, Zhansi; Jiang, Hui

    2018-05-01

    Using extended finite element method (XFEM) and support vector regression (SVR) to predict the fatigue life of plate crack. Firstly, the XFEM is employed to calculate the stress intensity factors (SIFs) with given crack sizes. Then predicetion model can be built based on the function relationship of the SIFs with the fatigue life or crack length. Finally, according to the prediction model predict the SIFs at different crack sizes or different cycles. Because of the accuracy of the forward Euler method only ensured by the small step size, a new prediction method is presented to resolve the issue. The numerical examples were studied to demonstrate the proposed method allow a larger step size and have a high accuracy.

  15. Matrix cracking in laminated composites under monotonic and cyclic loadings

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Allen, David H.; Lee, Jong-Won

    1991-01-01

    An analytical model based on the internal state variable (ISV) concept and the strain energy method is proposed for characterizing the monotonic and cyclic response of laminated composites containing matrix cracks. A modified constitution is formulated for angle-ply laminates under general in-plane mechanical loading and constant temperature change. A monotonic matrix cracking criterion is developed for predicting the crack density in cross-ply laminates as a function of the applied laminate axial stress. An initial formulation for a cyclic matrix cracking criterion for cross-ply laminates is also discussed. For the monotonic loading case, a number of experimental data and well-known models are compared with the present study for validating the practical applicability of the ISV approach.

  16. Role of sulphur atoms on stress relaxation and crack propagation in monolayer MoS2

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Baoming; Islam, Zahabul; Zhang, Kehao; Wang, Ke; Robinson, Joshua; Haque, Aman

    2017-09-01

    We present in-situ transmission electron microscopy of crack propagation in a freestanding monolayer MoS2 and molecular dynamic analysis of the underlying mechanisms. Chemical vapor deposited monolayer MoS2 was transferred from sapphire substrate using interfacial etching for defect and contamination minimization. Atomic resolution imaging shows crack tip atoms sustaining 14.5% strain before bond breaking, while the stress field decays at unprecedented rate of 2.15 GPa Å-1. Crack propagation is seen mostly in the zig-zag direction in both model and experiment, suggesting that the mechanics of fracture is not brittle. Our computational model captures the mechanics of the experimental observations on crack propagation in MoS2. While molybdenum atoms carry most of the mechanical load, we show that the sliding motion of weakly bonded sulphur atoms mediate crack tip stress relaxation, which helps the tip sustain very high, localized stress levels.

  17. Development of an Improved Crack Propagation Model for Corrosion-Induced Cover Cracking in RC Structures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hilyati, S.; Nizam, Z. M.; Zurisman, M. A. A.; Azhar, A. T. S.

    2017-06-01

    During the last two decades, reinforced concrete (RC) has been extensively used in most of the world as one of the common construction material due to its advantages and durability. However, RC structures exposed to marine environments are subjected to chloride attack. Chlorides from seawater penetrate into RC structures are not only causing severe corrosion problems but also affect the durability and serviceability of such structures. This paper investigates the influence of transverse reinforcement and spacing of reinforcing bars on concrete cover cracking of two-way RC slab specimens using accelerated corrosion tests. The experimental program involved the testing of four RC slab specimens and was generally designed to observe the crack width and the time of crack to propagate. An improved model for predicting the timing of crack propagation based on the experimental data was then developed.

  18. Nonlinear Structural Health Monitoring of the Responsive Space Satellite Systems Using Magneto Elastic Active Sensors (MEAS)

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2011-11-30

    detection of fatigue damage at early stage, well before onset of fracture and crack development. Analytical and numerical models of MEAS and MMI are...stage, well before onset of fracture and crack development. Analytical and numerical models of MEAS and MMI are suggested. Finally, MEAS capability...47  2.4.1  Far-Field Crack Detection

  19. Mechanical Aspects of Interfaces and Surfaces in Ceramic Containing Systems.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1984-12-14

    of a computer model to simulate the crack damage. The model is based on the fracture mechanics of cracks engulfed by the short stress pulse generated...by drop impact. Inertial effects of the crack faces are a particularly important aspect of the model. The computer scheme thereby allows the stress...W. R. Beaumont, "On the Toughness of Particulate Filled Polymers." Water Drop Impact X. E. D. Case and A. G. Evans, "A Computer -Generated Simulation

  20. Plates and shells containing a surface crack under general loading conditions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Joseph, Paul F.; Erdogan, Fazil

    1987-01-01

    Various through and part-through crack problems in plates and shells are considered. The line-spring model of Rice and Levy is generalized to the skew-symmetric case to solve surface crack problems involving mixed-mode, coplanar crack growth. Compliance functions are introduced which are valid for crack depth to thickness ratios at least up to .95. This includes expressions for tension and bending as well as expressions for in-plane shear, out-of-plane shear, and twisting. Transverse shear deformation is taken into account in the plate and shell theories and this effect is shown to be important in comparing stress intensity factors obtained from the plate theory with three-dimensional solutions. Stress intensity factors for cylinders obtained by the line-spring model also compare well with three-dimensional solution. By using the line-spring approach, stress intensity factors can be obtained for the through crack and for part-through crack of any crack front shape, without recalculation integrals that take up the bulk of the computer time. Therefore, parameter studies involving crack length, crack depth, shell type, and shell curvature are made in some detail. The results will be useful in brittle fracture and in fatigue crack propagation studies. All problems considered are of the mixed boundary value type and are reducted to strongly singular integral equations which make use of the finite-part integrals of Hadamard. The equations are solved numerically in a manner that is very efficient.

  1. Subcritical crack propagation due to chemical rock weakening: macroscale chemo-plasticity and chemo-elasticity modeling

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hueckel, T.; Hu, M.

    2015-12-01

    Crack propagation in a subcritically stressed rock subject to chemically aggressive environment is analyzed and numerically simulated. Chemically induced weakening is often encountered in hydraulic fracturing of low-permeability oil/gas reservoirs and heat reservoirs, during storage of CO2 and nuclear waste corroding canisters, and other circumstances when rock matrix acidizing is involved. Upon acidizing, mineral mass dissolution is substantially enhanced weakening the rock and causing crack propagation and eventually permeability changes in the medium. The crack process zone is modeled mathematically via a chemo-plastic coupling and chemo-elastic coupling model. In plasticity a two-way coupling is postulated between mineral dissolution and a yield limit of rock matrix. The rate of dissolution is described by a rate law, but the mineral mass removal per unit volume is also a function of a variable internal specific surface area, which is in turn affected by the micro-cracking (treated as a plastic strain). The behavior of the rock matrix is modeled as rigid-plastic adding a chemical softening capacity to Cam-Clay model. Adopting the Extended Johnson's approximation of processes around the crack tip, the evolution of the stress field and deformation as a function of the chemically enhanced rock damage is modeled in a simplified way. In addition, chemical reactive transport is made dependent on plastic strain representing micro-cracking. Depending on mechanical and chemical boundary conditions, the area of enhanced chemical softening is near or somewhat away from the crack tip.In elasticity, chemo-mechanical effect is postulated via a chemical volumetric shrinkage strain proportional to mass removal variable, conceived analogously to thermal expansion. Two versions are considered: of constant coefficient of shrinkage and a variable one, coupled to deviatoric strain. Airy Potential approach used for linear elasticity is extended considering an extra term, which is uncoupled or coupled to strain. The later case requires iterations with solution of reactive transport equation. A decrease of stress intensity factor with time of reaction is well reproduced.

  2. Unified continuum damage model for matrix cracking in composite rotor blades

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Pollayi, Hemaraju; Harursampath, Dineshkumar

    This paper deals with modeling of the first damage mode, matrix micro-cracking, in helicopter rotor/wind turbine blades and how this effects the overall cross-sectional stiffness. The helicopter/wind turbine rotor system operates in a highly dynamic and unsteady environment leading to severe vibratory loads present in the system. Repeated exposure to this loading condition can induce damage in the composite rotor blades. These rotor/turbine blades are generally made of fiber-reinforced laminated composites and exhibit various competing modes of damage such as matrix micro-cracking, delamination, and fiber breakage. There is a need to study the behavior of the composite rotor system undermore » various key damage modes in composite materials for developing Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) system. Each blade is modeled as a beam based on geometrically non-linear 3-D elasticity theory. Each blade thus splits into 2-D analyzes of cross-sections and non-linear 1-D analyzes along the beam reference curves. Two different tools are used here for complete 3-D analysis: VABS for 2-D cross-sectional analysis and GEBT for 1-D beam analysis. The physically-based failure models for matrix in compression and tension loading are used in the present work. Matrix cracking is detected using two failure criterion: Matrix Failure in Compression and Matrix Failure in Tension which are based on the recovered field. A strain variable is set which drives the damage variable for matrix cracking and this damage variable is used to estimate the reduced cross-sectional stiffness. The matrix micro-cracking is performed in two different approaches: (i) Element-wise, and (ii) Node-wise. The procedure presented in this paper is implemented in VABS as matrix micro-cracking modeling module. Three examples are presented to investigate the matrix failure model which illustrate the effect of matrix cracking on cross-sectional stiffness by varying the applied cyclic load.« less

  3. A finite element model on effects of impact load and cavitation on fatigue crack propagation in mechanical bileaflet aortic heart valve.

    PubMed

    Mohammadi, H; Klassen, R J; Wan, W-K

    2008-10-01

    Pyrolytic carbon mechanical heart valves (MHVs) are widely used to replace dysfunctional and failed heart valves. As the human heart beats around 40 million times per year, fatigue is the prime mechanism of mechanical failure. In this study, a finite element approach is implemented to develop a model for fatigue analysis of MHVs due to the impact force between the leaflet and the stent and cavitation in the aortic position. A two-step method to predict crack propagation in the leaflets of MHVs has been developed. Stress intensity factors (SIFs) are computed at a small initiated crack located on the leaflet edge (the worst case) using the boundary element method (BEM). Static analysis of the crack is performed to analyse the stress distribution around the front crack zone when the crack is opened; this is followed by a dynamic crack analysis to consider crack propagation using the finite element approach. Two factors are taken into account in the calculation of the SIFs: first, the effect of microjet formation due to cavitation in the vicinity of leaflets, resulting in water hammer pressure; second, the effect of the impact force between the leaflet and the stent of the MHVs, both in the closing phase. The critical initial crack length, the SIFs, the water hammer pressure, and the maximum jet velocity due to cavitation have been calculated. With an initial crack length of 35 microm, the fatigue life of the heart valve is greater than 60 years (i.e. about 2.2 x 10(9) cycles) and, with an initial crack length of 170 microm, the fatigue life of the heart valve would be around 2.5 years (i.e. about 9.1 x 10(7) cycles). For an initial crack length greater than 170 microm, there is catastrophic failure and fatigue cracking no longer occurs. A finite element model of fatigue analysis using Patran command language (PCL custom code) in MSC software can be used to evaluate the useful lifespan of MHVs. Similar methodologies can be extended to other medical devices under cyclic loads.

  4. How Do Cracks Initiate and Grow in a Thin Glass Plate? A Peridynamic Analysis

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-06-17

    evolution of these cracks, and confirm these results with fractography experiments of post-mortem samples. The results provide evidence of the predictive...face Questions to be answered  Can we understand how and why each type of crack system forms?  Crack surface fractography can give indication of...Symmetrical cracks form on the lower-right quarter of the plate. Jared Wright (ARL) fractography results Conclusions • The simplest peridynamic model

  5. Generation Mechanism of Nonlinear Rayleigh Surface Waves for Randomly Distributed Surface Micro-Cracks.

    PubMed

    Ding, Xiangyan; Li, Feilong; Zhao, Youxuan; Xu, Yongmei; Hu, Ning; Cao, Peng; Deng, Mingxi

    2018-04-23

    This paper investigates the propagation of Rayleigh surface waves in structures with randomly distributed surface micro-cracks using numerical simulations. The results revealed a significant ultrasonic nonlinear effect caused by the surface micro-cracks, which is mainly represented by a second harmonic with even more distinct third/quadruple harmonics. Based on statistical analysis from the numerous results of random micro-crack models, it is clearly found that the acoustic nonlinear parameter increases linearly with micro-crack density, the proportion of surface cracks, the size of micro-crack zone, and the excitation frequency. This study theoretically reveals that nonlinear Rayleigh surface waves are feasible for use in quantitatively identifying the physical characteristics of surface micro-cracks in structures.

  6. Fracture mechanics criteria for turbine engine hot section components

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Meyers, G. J.

    1982-01-01

    The application of several fracture mechanics data correlation parameters to predicting the crack propagation life of turbine engine hot section components was evaluated. An engine survey was conducted to determine the locations where conventional fracture mechanics approaches may not be adequate to characterize cracking behavior. Both linear and nonlinear fracture mechanics analyses of a cracked annular combustor liner configuration were performed. Isothermal and variable temperature crack propagation tests were performed on Hastelloy X combustor liner material. The crack growth data was reduced using the stress intensity factor, the strain intensity factor, the J integral, crack opening displacement, and Tomkins' model. The parameter which showed the most effectiveness in correlation high temperature and variable temperature Hastelloy X crack growth data was crack opening displacement.

  7. Generation Mechanism of Nonlinear Rayleigh Surface Waves for Randomly Distributed Surface Micro-Cracks

    PubMed Central

    Ding, Xiangyan; Li, Feilong; Xu, Yongmei; Cao, Peng; Deng, Mingxi

    2018-01-01

    This paper investigates the propagation of Rayleigh surface waves in structures with randomly distributed surface micro-cracks using numerical simulations. The results revealed a significant ultrasonic nonlinear effect caused by the surface micro-cracks, which is mainly represented by a second harmonic with even more distinct third/quadruple harmonics. Based on statistical analysis from the numerous results of random micro-crack models, it is clearly found that the acoustic nonlinear parameter increases linearly with micro-crack density, the proportion of surface cracks, the size of micro-crack zone, and the excitation frequency. This study theoretically reveals that nonlinear Rayleigh surface waves are feasible for use in quantitatively identifying the physical characteristics of surface micro-cracks in structures. PMID:29690580

  8. Surface cracks in a plate of finite width under tension or bending

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Erdogan, F.; Boduroglu, H.

    1984-01-01

    The problem of a finite plate containing collinear surface cracks is considered and solved by using the line spring model with plane elasticity and Reissner's plate theory. The main focus is on the effect of interaction between two cracks or between cracks and stress-free plate boundaries on the stress intensity factors in an effort to provide extensive numerical results which may be useful in applications. Some sample results are obtained and are compared with the existing finite element results. Then the problem is solved for a single (internal) crack, two collinear cracks, and two corner cracks for wide range of relative dimensions. Particularly in corner cracks, the agreement with the finite element solution is surprisingly very good. The results are obtained for semi-elliptic and rectangular crack profiles which may, in practice, correspond to two limiting cases of the actual profile of a subcritically growing surface crack.

  9. Surface cracks in a plate of finite width under extension or bending

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Erdogan, F.; Boduroglu, H.

    1984-01-01

    In this paper the problem of a finite plate containing collinear surface cracks is considered. The problem is solved by using the line spring model with plane elasticity and Reissner's plate theory. The main purpose of the study is to investigate the effect of interaction between two cracks or between cracks and stress-free plate boundaries on the stress intensity factors and to provide extensive numerical results which may be useful in applications. First, some sample results are obtained and are compared with the existing finite element results. Then the problem is solved for a single (internal) crack, two collinear cracks and two corner cracks for wide range of relative dimensions. Particularly in corner cracks the agreement with the finite element solution is surprisingly very good. The results are obtained for semielliptic and rectangular crack profiles which may, in practice, correspond to two limiting cases of the actual profile of a subcritically growing surface crack.

  10. Pellet Cladding Mechanical Interaction Modeling Using the Extended Finite Element Method

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Spencer, Benjamin W.; Jiang, Wen; Dolbow, John E.

    As a brittle material, the ceramic UO2 used as light water reactor fuel experiences significant fracturing throughout its life, beginning with the first rise to power of fresh fuel. This has multiple effects on the thermal and mechanical response of the fuel/cladding system. One such effect that is particularly important is that when there is mechanical contact between the fuel and cladding, cracks that extending from the outer surface of the fuel into the volume of the fuel cause elevated stresses in the adjacent cladding, which can potentially lead to cladding failure. Modeling the thermal and mechanical response of themore » cladding in the vicinity of these surface-breaking cracks in the fuel can provide important insights into this behavior to help avoid operating conditions that could lead to cladding failure. Such modeling has traditionally been done in the context of finite-element-based fuel performance analysis by modifying the fuel mesh to introduce discrete cracks. While this approach is effective in capturing the important behavior at the fuel/cladding interface, there are multiple drawbacks to explicitly incorporating the cracks in the finite element mesh. Because the cracks are incorporated in the original mesh, the mesh must be modified for cracks of specified location and depth, so it is difficult to account for crack propagation and the formation of new cracks at other locations. The extended finite element method (XFEM) has emerged in recent years as a powerful method to represent arbitrary, evolving, discrete discontinuities within the context of the finite element method. Development work is underway by the authors to implement XFEM in the BISON fuel performance code, and this capability has previously been demonstrated in simulations of fracture propagation in ceramic nuclear fuel. These preliminary demonstrations have included only the fuel, and excluded the cladding for simplicity. This paper presents initial results of efforts to apply XFEM to model stress concentrations induced by fuel fractures at the fuel/cladding interface during pellet cladding mechanical interaction (PCMI). This is accomplished by enhancing the thermal and mechanical contact enforcement algorithms employed by BISON to permit their use in conjunction with XFEM. The results from this methodology are demonstrated to be equivalent to those from using meshed discrete cracks. While the results of the two methods are equivalent for the case of a stationary crack, it is demonstrated that XFEM provides the additional flexibility of allowing arbitrary crack initiation and propagation during the analysis, and minimizes model setup effort for cases with stationary cracks.« less

  11. Experimental and numerical investigation of crack initiation and propagation in silicon nitride ceramic under rolling and cyclic contact

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Raga, Rahul; Khader, Iyas; Zdeněk, Chlup; Kailer, Andreas

    2017-05-01

    The focus of the work was to investigate crack initiation and propagation mechanisms in silicon nitride undergoing non-conforming hybrid contact under various tribological conditions. In order to understand the prevailing modes of damage in silicon nitride, two distinct model experiments were proposed, namely, rolling contact and cyclic contact experiments. The rolling contact experiment was designed in order to mimic the contact conditions appearing in hybrid bearings at contact pressures ranging from 3 to 6 GPa. On the other hand, cyclic contact experiments with stresses ranging from 4 to 15 GPa under different media were carried out to study damage under localised stresses. In addition, the experimentally observed cracks were implemented in a finite element model to study the stress redistribution and correlate the generated stresses with the corresponding mechanisms. Crack propagation under rolling contact was attributed to two different mechanisms, namely, fatigue induced fracture and lubricant driven crack propagation. The numerical simulations shed light on the tensile stress driven surface and subsurface crack propagation mechanisms. On the other hand, the cyclic contact experiments showed delayed crack formation for lubricated cyclic contact. Ceramographic cross-sectional analysis showed crack patterns similar to Hertzian crack propagation under cyclic contact load.

  12. An Artificial Neural Network-Based Algorithm for Evaluation of Fatigue Crack Propagation Considering Nonlinear Damage Accumulation

    PubMed Central

    Zhang, Wei; Bao, Zhangmin; Jiang, Shan; He, Jingjing

    2016-01-01

    In the aerospace and aviation sectors, the damage tolerance concept has been applied widely so that the modeling analysis of fatigue crack growth has become more and more significant. Since the process of crack propagation is highly nonlinear and determined by many factors, such as applied stress, plastic zone in the crack tip, length of the crack, etc., it is difficult to build up a general and flexible explicit function to accurately quantify this complicated relationship. Fortunately, the artificial neural network (ANN) is considered a powerful tool for establishing the nonlinear multivariate projection which shows potential in handling the fatigue crack problem. In this paper, a novel fatigue crack calculation algorithm based on a radial basis function (RBF)-ANN is proposed to study this relationship from the experimental data. In addition, a parameter called the equivalent stress intensity factor is also employed as training data to account for loading interaction effects. The testing data is then placed under constant amplitude loading with different stress ratios or overloads used for model validation. Moreover, the Forman and Wheeler equations are also adopted to compare with our proposed algorithm. The current investigation shows that the ANN-based approach can deliver a better agreement with the experimental data than the other two models, which supports that the RBF-ANN has nontrivial advantages in handling the fatigue crack growth problem. Furthermore, it implies that the proposed algorithm is possibly a sophisticated and promising method to compute fatigue crack growth in terms of loading interaction effects. PMID:28773606

  13. An Artificial Neural Network-Based Algorithm for Evaluation of Fatigue Crack Propagation Considering Nonlinear Damage Accumulation.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Wei; Bao, Zhangmin; Jiang, Shan; He, Jingjing

    2016-06-17

    In the aerospace and aviation sectors, the damage tolerance concept has been applied widely so that the modeling analysis of fatigue crack growth has become more and more significant. Since the process of crack propagation is highly nonlinear and determined by many factors, such as applied stress, plastic zone in the crack tip, length of the crack, etc. , it is difficult to build up a general and flexible explicit function to accurately quantify this complicated relationship. Fortunately, the artificial neural network (ANN) is considered a powerful tool for establishing the nonlinear multivariate projection which shows potential in handling the fatigue crack problem. In this paper, a novel fatigue crack calculation algorithm based on a radial basis function (RBF)-ANN is proposed to study this relationship from the experimental data. In addition, a parameter called the equivalent stress intensity factor is also employed as training data to account for loading interaction effects. The testing data is then placed under constant amplitude loading with different stress ratios or overloads used for model validation. Moreover, the Forman and Wheeler equations are also adopted to compare with our proposed algorithm. The current investigation shows that the ANN-based approach can deliver a better agreement with the experimental data than the other two models, which supports that the RBF-ANN has nontrivial advantages in handling the fatigue crack growth problem. Furthermore, it implies that the proposed algorithm is possibly a sophisticated and promising method to compute fatigue crack growth in terms of loading interaction effects.

  14. Model calibration for a soft elastomeric capacitor sensor considering slippage under fatigue cracks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kong, Xiangxiong; Li, Jian; Bennett, Caroline; Collins, William; Laflamme, Simon

    2016-04-01

    A newly-developed soft elastomeric capacitor (SEC) strain sensor has shown promise in fatigue crack monitoring. The SECs exhibit high levels of ductility and hence do not break under excessive strain when the substrate cracks due to slippage or de-bonding between the sensor and epoxy. The actual strain experienced by a SEC depends on the amount of slippage, which is difficult to simulate numerically, making it challenging to accurately predict the response of a SEC near a crack. In this paper, a two-step approach is proposed to simulate the capacitance response of a SEC. First, a finite element (FE) model of a steel compact tension specimen was analyzed under cyclic loading while the cracking process was simulated based on an element removal technique. Second, a rectangular boundary was defined near the crack region. The SEC outside the boundary was assumed to have perfect bond with the specimen, while that inside the boundary was assumed to deform freely due to slippage. A second FE model was then established to simulate the response of the SEC within the boundary subject to displacements at the boundary from the first FE model. The total simulated capacitance was computed from the model results by combining the computed capacitance inside and outside the boundary. The performance of the simulation incorporating slippage was evaluated by comparing the model results with the experimental data from the test performed on a compact tension specimen. The FE model considering slippage showed results that matched the experimental findings more closely than the FE model that did not consider slippage.

  15. Molecular-dynamics Simulation-based Cohesive Zone Representation of Intergranular Fracture Processes in Aluminum

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Yamakov, Vesselin I.; Saether, Erik; Phillips, Dawn R.; Glaessgen, Edward H.

    2006-01-01

    A traction-displacement relationship that may be embedded into a cohesive zone model for microscale problems of intergranular fracture is extracted from atomistic molecular-dynamics simulations. A molecular-dynamics model for crack propagation under steady-state conditions is developed to analyze intergranular fracture along a flat 99 [1 1 0] symmetric tilt grain boundary in aluminum. Under hydrostatic tensile load, the simulation reveals asymmetric crack propagation in the two opposite directions along the grain boundary. In one direction, the crack propagates in a brittle manner by cleavage with very little or no dislocation emission, and in the other direction, the propagation is ductile through the mechanism of deformation twinning. This behavior is consistent with the Rice criterion for cleavage vs. dislocation blunting transition at the crack tip. The preference for twinning to dislocation slip is in agreement with the predictions of the Tadmor and Hai criterion. A comparison with finite element calculations shows that while the stress field around the brittle crack tip follows the expected elastic solution for the given boundary conditions of the model, the stress field around the twinning crack tip has a strong plastic contribution. Through the definition of a Cohesive-Zone-Volume-Element an atomistic analog to a continuum cohesive zone model element - the results from the molecular-dynamics simulation are recast to obtain an average continuum traction-displacement relationship to represent cohesive zone interaction along a characteristic length of the grain boundary interface for the cases of ductile and brittle decohesion. Keywords: Crack-tip plasticity; Cohesive zone model; Grain boundary decohesion; Intergranular fracture; Molecular-dynamics simulation

  16. Implementation of thermal residual stresses in the analysis of fiber bridged matrix crack growth in titanium matrix composites

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bakuckas, John G., Jr.; Johnson, W. Steven

    1994-01-01

    In this research, thermal residual stresses were incorporated in an analysis of fiber-bridged matrix cracks in unidirectional and cross-ply titanium matrix composites (TMC) containing center holes or center notches. Two TMC were investigated, namely, SCS-6/Timelal-21S laminates. Experimentally, matrix crack initiation and growth were monitored during tension-tension fatigue tests conducted at room temperature and at an elevated temperature of 200 C. Analytically, thermal residual stresses were included in a fiber bridging (FB) model. The local R-ratio and stress-intensity factor in the matrix due to thermal and mechanical loadings were calculated and used to evaluate the matrix crack growth behavior in the two materials studied. The frictional shear stress term, tau, assumed in this model was used as a curve-fitting parameter to matrix crack growth data. The scatter band in the values of tau used to fit the matrix crack growth data was significantly reduced when thermal residual stresses were included in the fiber bridging analysis. For a given material system, lay-up and temperature, a single value of tau was sufficient to analyze the crack growth data. It was revealed in this study that thermal residual stresses are an important factor overlooked in the original FB models.

  17. Stress interactions among arrays of tensile cracks in 3D: Implications for the nucleation of shear failure and the orientations of faults.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Healy, D.; Davis, T.

    2017-12-01

    In low porosity rocks it is widely believed that planes of shear failure nucleate through the interaction of arrays of smaller tensile microcracks. This model has been confirmed through laboratory rock deformation experiments and detailed microstructural analyses. In this contribution we use the Boundary Element Method (BEM) to model the interactions of arrays of tensile cracks, discretised as ellipsoidal voids in three dimensions (3D). We calculate the elastic stresses in the solid matrix surrounding the cracks resulting from an applied load and include the interaction effects of each crack upon all the others. We explore the role of variations in crack shape, size, position and orientation upon the total and locally perturbed stress fields. We calculate the average crack normal stress (CNS) acting over the area of each tensile crack, and then find the locus of the maximum value of this stress throughout the modelled volume. Following Reches & Lockner (1994) and Healy et al. (2006a, 2006b), we assert that planes of shear failure will most likely nucleate on surfaces parallel to the locus of maximum average CNS. These shear planes are oblique to all three principal stresses in the far field.

  18. Prediction of Fatigue Crack Growth in Rail Steels.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1981-10-01

    Measures to prevent derailments due to fatigue failures of rails require adequate knowledge of the rate of propagation of fatigue cracks under service loading. The report presents a computational model for the prediction of crack growth in rails. The...

  19. Probabilistic Prognosis of Non-Planar Fatigue Crack Growth

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Leser, Patrick E.; Newman, John A.; Warner, James E.; Leser, William P.; Hochhalter, Jacob D.; Yuan, Fuh-Gwo

    2016-01-01

    Quantifying the uncertainty in model parameters for the purpose of damage prognosis can be accomplished utilizing Bayesian inference and damage diagnosis data from sources such as non-destructive evaluation or structural health monitoring. The number of samples required to solve the Bayesian inverse problem through common sampling techniques (e.g., Markov chain Monte Carlo) renders high-fidelity finite element-based damage growth models unusable due to prohibitive computation times. However, these types of models are often the only option when attempting to model complex damage growth in real-world structures. Here, a recently developed high-fidelity crack growth model is used which, when compared to finite element-based modeling, has demonstrated reductions in computation times of three orders of magnitude through the use of surrogate models and machine learning. The model is flexible in that only the expensive computation of the crack driving forces is replaced by the surrogate models, leaving the remaining parameters accessible for uncertainty quantification. A probabilistic prognosis framework incorporating this model is developed and demonstrated for non-planar crack growth in a modified, edge-notched, aluminum tensile specimen. Predictions of remaining useful life are made over time for five updates of the damage diagnosis data, and prognostic metrics are utilized to evaluate the performance of the prognostic framework. Challenges specific to the probabilistic prognosis of non-planar fatigue crack growth are highlighted and discussed in the context of the experimental results.

  20. Environmental fatigue in aluminum-lithium alloys

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Piascik, Robert S.

    1992-01-01

    Aluminum-lithium alloys exhibit similar environmental fatigue crack growth characteristics compared to conventional 2000 series alloys and are more resistant to environmental fatigue compared to 7000 series alloys. The superior fatigue crack growth behavior of Al-Li alloys 2090, 2091, 8090, and 8091 is due to crack closure caused by tortuous crack path morphology and crack surface corrosion products. At high R and reduced closure, chemical environment effects are pronounced resulting in accelerated near threshold da/dN. The beneficial effects of crack closure are minimized for small cracks resulting in rapid growth rates. Limited data suggest that the 'chemically small crack' effect, observed in other alloy system, is not pronounced in Al-Li alloys. Modeling of environmental fatigue in Al-Li-Cu alloys related accelerated fatigue crack growth in moist air and salt water to hydrogen embrittlement.

  1. 75 FR 18774 - Airworthiness Directives; McCauley Propeller Systems Model 4HFR34C653/L106FA Propellers

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-04-13

    ... (ECI) of the propeller hub for cracks. That proposed AD resulted from reports of 3 hubs found cracked... NPRM results from reports of 7 additional hubs found cracked during propeller overhaul, totaling 10 cracked hubs. We are proposing this supplemental AD to prevent failure of the propeller hub, which could...

  2. SHARP User Manual

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Yu, Y. Q.; Shemon, E. R.; Thomas, J. W.

    SHARP is an advanced modeling and simulation toolkit for the analysis of nuclear reactors. It is comprised of several components including physical modeling tools, tools to integrate the physics codes for multi-physics analyses, and a set of tools to couple the codes within the MOAB framework. Physics modules currently include the neutronics code PROTEUS, the thermal-hydraulics code Nek5000, and the structural mechanics code Diablo. This manual focuses on performing multi-physics calculations with the SHARP ToolKit. Manuals for the three individual physics modules are available with the SHARP distribution to help the user to either carry out the primary multi-physics calculationmore » with basic knowledge or perform further advanced development with in-depth knowledge of these codes. This manual provides step-by-step instructions on employing SHARP, including how to download and install the code, how to build the drivers for a test case, how to perform a calculation and how to visualize the results. Since SHARP has some specific library and environment dependencies, it is highly recommended that the user read this manual prior to installing SHARP. Verification tests cases are included to check proper installation of each module. It is suggested that the new user should first follow the step-by-step instructions provided for a test problem in this manual to understand the basic procedure of using SHARP before using SHARP for his/her own analysis. Both reference output and scripts are provided along with the test cases in order to verify correct installation and execution of the SHARP package. At the end of this manual, detailed instructions are provided on how to create a new test case so that user can perform novel multi-physics calculations with SHARP. Frequently asked questions are listed at the end of this manual to help the user to troubleshoot issues.« less

  3. Analytical Modelling of Transverse Matrix Cracking of [plus or minus Theta/90(sub n)](sub s) Composite Laminates Under Multiaxial Loading

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mayugo, J A.; Camanho, P. P.; Maimi, P.; Davila, C. G.

    2010-01-01

    An analytical model based on the analysis of a cracked unit cell of a composite laminate subjected to multiaxial loads is proposed to predict the onset and accumulation of transverse matrix cracks in the 90(sub n) plies of uniformly stressed [plus or minus Theta/90(sub n)](sub s) laminates. The model predicts the effect of matrix cracks on the stiffness of the laminate, as well as the ultimate failure of the laminate, and it accounts for the effect of the ply thickness on the ply strength. Several examples describing the predictions of laminate response, from damage onset up to final failure under both uniaxial and multiaxial loads, are presented.

  4. Multiscale Modeling of Damage Processes in Aluminum Alloys: Grain-Scale Mechanisms

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hochhalter, J. D.; Veilleux, M. G.; Bozek, J. E.; Glaessgen, E. H.; Ingraffea, A. R.

    2008-01-01

    This paper has two goals related to the development of a physically-grounded methodology for modeling the initial stages of fatigue crack growth in an aluminum alloy. The aluminum alloy, AA 7075-T651, is susceptible to fatigue cracking that nucleates from cracked second phase iron-bearing particles. Thus, the first goal of the paper is to validate an existing framework for the prediction of the conditions under which the particles crack. The observed statistics of particle cracking (defined as incubation for this alloy) must be accurately predicted to simulate the stochastic nature of microstructurally small fatigue crack (MSFC) formation. Also, only by simulating incubation of damage in a statistically accurate manner can subsequent stages of crack growth be accurately predicted. To maintain fidelity and computational efficiency, a filtering procedure was developed to eliminate particles that were unlikely to crack. The particle filter considers the distributions of particle sizes and shapes, grain texture, and the configuration of the surrounding grains. This filter helps substantially reduce the number of particles that need to be included in the microstructural models and forms the basis of the future work on the subsequent stages of MSFC, crack nucleation and microstructurally small crack propagation. A physics-based approach to simulating fracture should ultimately begin at nanometer length scale, in which atomistic simulation is used to predict the fundamental damage mechanisms of MSFC. These mechanisms include dislocation formation and interaction, interstitial void formation, and atomic diffusion. However, atomistic simulations quickly become computationally intractable as the system size increases, especially when directly linking to the already large microstructural models. Therefore, the second goal of this paper is to propose a method that will incorporate atomistic simulation and small-scale experimental characterization into the existing multiscale framework. At the microscale, the nanoscale mechanics are represented within cohesive zones where appropriate, i.e. where the mechanics observed at the nanoscale can be represented as occurring on a plane such as at grain boundaries or slip planes at a crack front. Important advancements that are yet to be made include: 1. an increased fidelity in cohesive zone modeling; 2. a means to understand how atomistic simulation scales with time; 3. a new experimental methodology for generating empirical models for CZMs and emerging materials; and 4. a validation of simulations of the damage processes at the nano-micro scale. With ever-increasing computer power, the long-term ability to employ atomistic simulation for the prognosis of structural components will not be limited by computation power, but by our lack of knowledge in incorporating atomistic models into simulations of MSFC into a multiscale framework.

  5. Retardation analytical model to extend service life

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Matejczyk, D.

    1984-01-01

    A fatigue crack growth model that incorporates crack growth retardation effects and is applicable to the materials characteristics and service environments of high performance LH2/LO2 engine systems was developed and tested.

  6. Analysis of Multiple Cracks in an Infinite Functionally Graded Plate

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Shbeeb, N. I.; Binienda, W. K.; Kreider, K. L.

    1999-01-01

    A general methodology was constructed to develop the fundamental solution for a crack embedded in an infinite non-homogeneous material in which the shear modulus varies exponentially with the y coordinate. The fundamental solution was used to generate a solution to fully interactive multiple crack problems for stress intensity factors and strain energy release rates. Parametric studies were conducted for two crack configurations. The model displayed sensitivity to crack distance, relative angular orientation, and to the coefficient of nonhomogeneity.

  7. Assessment of the Effectiveness of Clay Soil Covers as Engineered Barriers in Waste Disposal Facilities with Emphasis on Modeling Cracking Behavior

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2008-06-01

    escaping the clay and keeping its compacted conditions constant. Other stabilizing additives such as surfactants or cement and applications such as foamed ...not a local phenomenon. Once a crack is formed, increasing the width of the crack at the surface by additional shrinkage will also extend the depth...at the surface, increasing the width of the crack by additional shrinkage will drive the crack deeper into the soil mass, expos- ing new surfaces to

  8. Health Monitoring and Diagnosis of Solid Rocket Motors with Bore Cracks

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-11-01

    Bore Cracks 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) Anhduong Q. Le, L. Z. Sun, and Timothy C. Miller 5d...element-based computational model is used to investigate the effects of bore cracking on the changes in stress distributions along the bondline of solid...between the crack depth and the sensor data to inversely estimate the size of bore cracks in the motor. It is shown that the proposed type of sensing

  9. A thermodynamic analysis of propagating subcritical cracks with cohesive zones

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Allen, David H.

    1993-01-01

    The results of the so-called energetic approach to fracture with particular attention to the issue of energy dissipation due to crack propagation are applied to the case of a crack with cohesive zone. The thermodynamic admissibility of subcritical crack growth (SCG) is discussed together with some hypotheses that lead to the derivation of SCG laws. A two-phase cohesive zone model for discontinuous crack growth is presented and its thermodynamics analyzed, followed by an example of its possible application.

  10. Electrochemical model of local corrosion at the tip of a loaded crack

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Andreikiv, O.E.; Tym`yak, N.I.

    1994-07-01

    A model of electrochemical processes near a crack tip in a stressed metal subjected to corrosion with hydrogen depolarization is suggested. It is shown that, in order to describe the kinetics of hydrogenation of the prefracture area, it is necessary to take into account the type of passivation layer on the newly formed metal surface near the crack tip and the mechanism of its formation.

  11. Elastic-Plastic J-Integral Solutions or Surface Cracks in Tension Using an Interpolation Methodology. Appendix C -- Finite Element Models Solution Database File, Appendix D -- Benchmark Finite Element Models Solution Database File

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Allen, Phillip A.; Wells, Douglas N.

    2013-01-01

    No closed form solutions exist for the elastic-plastic J-integral for surface cracks due to the nonlinear, three-dimensional nature of the problem. Traditionally, each surface crack must be analyzed with a unique and time-consuming nonlinear finite element analysis. To overcome this shortcoming, the authors have developed and analyzed an array of 600 3D nonlinear finite element models for surface cracks in flat plates under tension loading. The solution space covers a wide range of crack shapes and depths (shape: 0.2 less than or equal to a/c less than or equal to 1, depth: 0.2 less than or equal to a/B less than or equal to 0.8) and material flow properties (elastic modulus-to-yield ratio: 100 less than or equal to E/ys less than or equal to 1,000, and hardening: 3 less than or equal to n less than or equal to 20). The authors have developed a methodology for interpolating between the goemetric and material property variables that allows the user to reliably evaluate the full elastic-plastic J-integral and force versus crack mouth opening displacement solution; thus, a solution can be obtained very rapidly by users without elastic-plastic fracture mechanics modeling experience. Complete solutions for the 600 models and 25 additional benchmark models are provided in tabular format.

  12. Analysis of crack propagation in human long bone by using finite element modeling

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Salim, Mohammad Shahril; Salleh, Ahmad Faizal; Daud, Ruslizam

    2017-12-01

    The aim of this research is to present a numerical modeling of crack for human long bone specifically on femur shaft bone under mode I loading condition. Two - dimensional model (2D) of long bone was developed based on past research study. The finite element analysis and construction of the model are done using Mechanical APDL (ANSYS) v14.0 software. The research was conducted mainly based on two conditions that were at different crack lengths and different loading forces for male and female. In order to evaluate the stress intensity factor (KI) of the femur shaft of long bone, this research employed finite element method to predict the brittle fracture loading by using three-point bending test. The result of numerical test found that the crack was formed when the crack length reached 0.0022 m where KI values are proportional with the crack's length. Also, various loading forces in range of 400 N to 1000 N were applied in an attempt to study their effect on stress intensity factor and it was found that the female dimension has higher KI values compared to male. It was also observed that K values found by this method have good agreement with theoretical results based on previous research.

  13. Treatment of singularities in a middle-crack tension specimen

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Shivakumar, K. N.; Raju, I. S.

    1990-01-01

    A three-dimensional finite-element analysis of a middle-crack tension specimen subjected to mode I loading was performed to study the stress singularity along the crack front. The specimen was modeled using 20-node isoparametric elements with collapsed nonsingular elements at the crack front. The displacements and stresses from the analysis were used to estimate the power of singularities, by a log-log regression analysis, along the crack front. Analyses showed that finite-sized cracked bodies have two singular stress fields. Because of two singular stress fields near the free surface and the classical square root singularity elsewhere, the strain energy release rate appears to be an appropriate parameter all along the crack front.

  14. Mechanics of tidally driven fractures in Europa's ice shell and implications for seismic and radar profiling

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lee, S.; Pappalardo, R. T.; Makris, N. C.

    2005-12-01

    Among Europa's surface features, cycloidal cracks are probably the most important for proving the existence of a subsurface liquid ocean. This is because (1) there is strong evidence that they are caused by tidally induced stress [1], and (2) this stress likely only approaches the ice failure strength if an ocean is present. There are a number of outstanding issues, however, in quantitatively explaining cycloidal cracks. First, current estimates of the pure diurnal tidal stress necessary to cause cycloidal cracks even in the presence of an ocean [1,2] is well below the typical stress known to cause tensile failure in natural terrestrial ice [3]. Second, models of ridge formation suggest that cycloidal cracks penetrate through the entire brittle-ice layer [1,4], but current models limit the depth of tidally induced surface cracks to be less than 100 m even in the presence of an ocean [1,5]. Third, the 3-km/h crack propagation speed determined by [1] is three orders of magnitude lower than the roughly 2-km/s speed at which cracks are known to propagate in ice. Our goal is to quantitatively address these issues in a unified manner. To do this, a fracture mechanics model is developed for the initiation and propagation of a crack through an ice layer of finite thickness in the presence of gravitational overburden and porosity. It is shown that Europa's ice shell may be highly porous and salt-rich. This implies that the strength of Europa's outer ice shell may be sufficiently low to make the crack initiation strengths arrived at by current kinematic models [1,2] highly plausible, even though they are much lower than those typically measured for terrestrial ice. A model is developed for the stress intensity factor at a crack tip in an ice shell with finite thickness, gravitational overburden, and depth-dependent porosity. This leads to the conclusion that cycloids are generated as a sequence of discrete and near instantaneous fracture events, each of which penetrates through the entire brittle layer with horizontal length on the order of the brittle layer thickness. This mechanism yields an apparent propagation speed that is consistent with the 3 km/h crack propagation speed necessary to generate cycloids in current kinematic models [1,2]. An implication of this model is that the level of seismic activity should be higher by orders of magnitude in the presence of an ocean. High correlation is then expected between the level of seismic activity and the tidal period in the presence but not in the absence of an ocean. The cracks associated with cycloids that fully penetrate the brittle layer should be at least 106 times more energetic than the shallow, roughly 100-m deep, surface cracks. We show that this greatly improves the signal-to-noise ratio for the type of seismic profiling discussed in [6] if fully penetrating cracks are used as sources of opportunity. Although Europa's ice is likely highly porous, the size of vacuous pores is likely on the order of a millimeter. Since the pore size is at least three orders of magnitude smaller than the ice-penetrating radar wavelength, our calculations show that porosity-induced scattering should not be significant. [1] Hoppa et al. 1999, Science 285. [2] Crawford et al. 2005, LPSC XXXVI #2042. [3] Weeks and Cox 1984, Ocean Sci. Eng. 9. [4] Pappalardo et al. 1999, J. Geophys. Res. 97. [5] Crawford and Stevenson 1988, Icarus 73. [6] Lee et al. 2003, Icarus 165.

  15. Effective properties of a poroelastic medium containing a distribution of aligned cracks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Galvin, R. J.; Gurevich, B.

    2009-07-01

    We simulate the effect of fractures by considering them to be thin circular cracks in a poroelastic background. Using the solution of the scattering problem for a single-crack and multiple-scattering theory, we estimate the attenuation and dispersion of elastic waves in a porous medium containing a sparse distribution of cracks. When comparing with a similar model, in which multiple-scattering effects are neglected, we find that there is agreement at high frequencies and discrepancies at low frequencies. We conclude that the interaction between cracks should not be neglected at low frequencies, even in the limit of weak crack density. Since the models only agree with each other at high frequencies, when the time available for fluid diffusion is small, we conclude that the interaction between cracks, which is a result of fluid diffusion, is negligible at high frequencies. We also compare our results with a model for spherical inclusions and find that the attenuation for spherical inclusions has exactly the same dependence upon frequency but a difference in magnitude, which depends upon frequency. Since the attenuation curves are very close at low frequencies, we conclude that the effective medium properties are not sensitive to the shape of an inclusion at wavelengths that are large compared with the inclusion size. However, at frequencies such that the wavelength is comparable to or smaller than the inclusion size, the effective properties are sensitive to the greater compliance of the flat cracks, and more attenuation occurs at a given frequency as a result.

  16. Resonance of a fluid-driven crack: radiation properties and implications for the source of long-period events and harmonic tremor.

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Chouet, B.

    1988-01-01

    A dynamic source model is presented, in which a 3-D crack containing a viscous compressible fluid is excited into resonance by an impulsive pressure transient applied over a small area DELTA S of the crack surface. The crack excitation depends critically on two dimensionless parameters called the crack stiffness and viscous damping loss. According to the model, the long-period event and harmonic tremor share the same source but differ in the boundary conditions for fluid flow and in the triggering mechanism setting up the resonance of the source, the former being viewed as the impulse response of the tremor generating system and the later representing the excitation due to more complex forcing functions.-from Author

  17. Crack-tip-opening angle measurements and crack tunneling under stable tearing in thin sheet 2024-T3 aluminum alloy

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dawicke, D. S.; Sutton, M. A.

    1993-01-01

    The stable tearing behavior of thin sheets 2024-T3 aluminum alloy was studied for middle crack tension specimens having initial cracks that were: flat cracks (low fatigue stress) and 45 degrees through-thickness slant cracks (high fatigue stress). The critical crack-tip-opening angle (CTOA) values during stable tearing were measured by two independent methods, optical microscopy and digital image correlation. Results from the two methods agreed well. The CTOA measurements and observations of the fracture surfaces showed that the initial stable tearing behavior of low and high fatigue stress tests is significantly different. The cracks in the low fatigue stress tests underwent a transition from flat-to-slant crack growth, during which the CTOA values were high and significant crack tunneling occurred. After crack growth equal to about the thickness, CTOA reached a constant value of 6 deg and after crack growth equal to about twice the thickness, crack tunneling stabilized. The initial high CTOA values, in the low fatigue crack tests, coincided with large three-dimensional crack front shape changes due to a variation in the through-thickness crack tip constraint. The cracks in the high fatigue stress tests reach the same constant CTOA value after crack growth equal to about the thickness, but produced only a slightly higher CTOA value during initial crack growth. For crack growth on the 45 degree slant, the crack front and local field variables are still highly three-dimensional. However, the constant CTOA values and stable crack front shape may allow the process to be approximated with two-dimensional models.

  18. Fracture of concrete caused by the reinforcement corrosion products

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nguyen, Q. T.; Millard, A.; Caré, S.; L'Hostis, V.; Berthaud, Y.

    2006-11-01

    One of the most current degradations in reinforced concrete structures is related to the corrosion of the reinforcements. The corrosion products during active corrosion induce a mechanical pressure on the surrounding concrete that leads to cover cracking along the rebar. The objective of this work is to study the cracking of concrete due to the corrosion of the reinforcements. The phenomenon of corrosion/cracking is studied in experiments through tests of accelerated corrosion on plate and cylindrical specimens. A CCD camera is used to take images every hour and the pictures are analyzed by using the intercorrelation image technique (Correli^LMT) to derive the displacement and strain field. Thus the date of appearance of the first through crack is detected and the cinematic crack initiations are observed during the test. A finite element model that allows prediction of the mechanical consequences of the corrosion of steel in reinforced concrete structures is proposed. From the comparison between the test results and numerical simulations, it may be concluded that the model is validated in term of strains up to the moment when the crack becomes visible, and in terms of crack pattern.

  19. Analysis of Interface Properties of Hybrid Pre-stressed Strengthening RC Beams with Crack

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Xie Zhihong; Huang Peiyan; Guo Yongchang

    2010-05-21

    A finite element (FE) analysis model of interface layer is established for the pre-stressed CFS-GFS hybrid strengthened beams. An elastic solution for the interfacial stress in the adhesive layer of the retrofitted beams is developed as well. The analytical results were compared with the FE results of interfacial stresses in the beams with different thickness of the adhesive and the fibre sheet. Different heights of Cracks in the interfacial layer of the concrete beam are considered in FE Model. Analysis results show the strengthening pattern is of excellent interface performance and the strength of the fiber sheet can be effectivelymore » utilized. The results also indicate the shear and normal stresses in the interfacial layer of the concrete beam release at the locations of the cracks and reach the maximal value before the concrete cracked. The shear and normal stresses in the adhesive layer increase abruptly, and the cracks in the adhesive layer then appear. The axial stresses of hybrid fiber sheet near the cracks decrease locally at the sites of the concrete cracks.« less

  20. Modeling Fatigue Damage Onset and Progression in Composites Using an Element-Based Virtual Crack Closure Technique Combined With the Floating Node Method

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    De Carvalho, Nelson V.; Krueger, Ronald

    2016-01-01

    A new methodology is proposed to model the onset and propagation of matrix cracks and delaminations in carbon-epoxy composites subject to fatigue loading. An extended interface element, based on the Floating Node Method, is developed to represent delaminations and matrix cracks explicitly in a mesh independent fashion. Crack propagation is determined using an element-based Virtual Crack Closure Technique approach to determine mixed-mode energy release rates, and the Paris-Law relationship to obtain crack growth rate. Crack onset is determined using a stressbased onset criterion coupled with a stress vs. cycle curve and Palmgren-Miner rule to account for fatigue damage accumulation. The approach is implemented in Abaqus/Standard® via the user subroutine functionality. Verification exercises are performed to assess the accuracy and correct implementation of the approach. Finally, it was demonstrated that this approach captured the differences in failure morphology in fatigue for two laminates of identical stiffness, but with layups containing ?deg plies that were either stacked in a single group, or distributed through the laminate thickness.

  1. Dynamic calibration and analysis of crack tip propagation in energetic materials using real-time radiography

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Butt, Ali

    Crack propagation in a solid rocket motor environment is difficult to measure directly. This experimental and analytical study evaluated the viability of real-time radiography for detecting bore regression and propellant crack propagation speed. The scope included the quantitative interpretation of crack tip velocity from simulated radiographic images of a burning, center-perforated grain and actual real-time radiographs taken on a rapid-prototyped model that dynamically produced the surface movements modeled in the simulation. The simplified motor simulation portrayed a bore crack that propagated radially at a speed that was 10 times the burning rate of the bore. Comparing the experimental image interpretation with the calibrated surface inputs, measurement accuracies were quantified. The average measurements of the bore radius were within 3% of the calibrated values with a maximum error of 7%. The crack tip speed could be characterized with image processing algorithms, but not with the dynamic calibration data. The laboratory data revealed that noise in the transmitted X-Ray intensity makes sensing the crack tip propagation using changes in the centerline transmitted intensity level impractical using the algorithms employed.

  2. Virtual hybrid test control of sinuous crack

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jailin, Clément; Carpiuc, Andreea; Kazymyrenko, Kyrylo; Poncelet, Martin; Leclerc, Hugo; Hild, François; Roux, Stéphane

    2017-05-01

    The present study aims at proposing a new generation of experimental protocol for analysing crack propagation in quasi brittle materials. The boundary conditions are controlled in real-time to conform to a predefined crack path. Servo-control is achieved through a full-field measurement technique to determine the pre-set fracture path and a simple predictor model based on linear elastic fracture mechanics to prescribe the boundary conditions on the fly so that the actual crack path follows at best the predefined trajectory. The final goal is to identify, for instance, non-local damage models involving internal lengths. The validation of this novel procedure is performed via a virtual test-case based on an enriched damage model with an internal length scale, a prior chosen sinusoidal crack path and a concrete sample. Notwithstanding the fact that the predictor model selected for monitoring the test is a highly simplified picture of the targeted constitutive law, the proposed protocol exhibits a much improved sensitivity to the sought parameters such as internal lengths as assessed from the comparison with other available experimental tests.

  3. FASTRAN II - FATIGUE CRACK GROWTH STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS (UNIX VERSION)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Newman, J. C.

    1994-01-01

    Predictions of fatigue crack growth behavior can be made with the Fatigue Crack Growth Structural Analysis (FASTRAN II) computer program. As cyclic loads are applied to a selected crack configuration with an initial crack size, FASTRAN II predicts crack growth as a function of cyclic load history until either a desired crack size is reached or failure occurs. FASTRAN II is based on plasticity-induced crack-closure behavior of cracks in metallic materials and accounts for load-interaction effects, such as retardation and acceleration, under variable-amplitude loading. The closure model is based on the Dugdale model with modifications to allow plastically deformed material to be left along the crack surfaces as the crack grows. Plane stress and plane strain conditions, as well as conditions between these two, can be simulated in FASTRAN II by using a constraint factor on tensile yielding at the crack front to approximately account for three-dimensional stress states. FASTRAN II contains seventeen predefined crack configurations (standard laboratory fatigue crack growth rate specimens and many common crack configurations found in structures); and the user can define one additional crack configuration. The baseline crack growth rate properties (effective stress-intensity factor against crack growth rate) may be given in either equation or tabular form. For three-dimensional crack configurations, such as surface cracks or corner cracks at holes or notches, the fatigue crack growth rate properties may be different in the crack depth and crack length directions. Final failure of the cracked structure can be modelled with fracture toughness properties using either linear-elastic fracture mechanics (brittle materials), a two-parameter fracture criterion (brittle to ductile materials), or plastic collapse (extremely ductile materials). The crack configurations in FASTRAN II can be subjected to either constant-amplitude, variable-amplitude or spectrum loading. The applied loads may be either tensile or compressive. Several standardized aircraft flight-load histories, such as TWIST, Mini-TWIST, FALSTAFF, Inverted FALSTAFF, Felix and Gaussian, are included as options. FASTRAN II also includes two other methods that will help the user input spectrum load histories. The two methods are: (1) a list of stress points, and (2) a flight-by-flight history of stress points. Examples are provided in the user manual. Developed as a research program, FASTRAN II has successfully predicted crack growth in many metallic materials under various aircraft spectrum loading. A computer program DKEFF which is a part of the FASTRAN II package was also developed to analyze crack growth rate data from laboratory specimens to obtain the effective stress-intensity factor against crack growth rate relations used in FASTRAN II. FASTRAN II is written in standard FORTRAN 77. It has been successfully compiled and implemented on Sun4 series computers running SunOS and on IBM PC compatibles running MS-DOS using the Lahey F77L FORTRAN compiler. Sample input and output data are included with the FASTRAN II package. The UNIX version requires 660K of RAM for execution. The standard distribution medium for the UNIX version (LAR-14865) is a .25 inch streaming magnetic tape cartridge in UNIX tar format. It is also available on a 3.5 inch diskette in UNIX tar format. The standard distribution medium for the MS-DOS version (LAR-14944) is a 5.25 inch 360K MS-DOS format diskette. The contents of the diskette are compressed using the PKWARE archiving tools. The utility to unarchive the files, PKUNZIP.EXE, is included. The program was developed in 1984 and revised in 1992. Sun4 and SunOS are trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. IBM PC is a trademark of International Business Machines Corp. MS-DOS is a trademark of Microsoft, Inc. F77L is a trademark of the Lahey Computer Systems, Inc. UNIX is a registered trademark of AT&T Bell Laboratories. PKWARE and PKUNZIP are trademarks of PKWare, Inc.

  4. FASTRAN II - FATIGUE CRACK GROWTH STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS (IBM PC VERSION)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Newman, J. C.

    1994-01-01

    Predictions of fatigue crack growth behavior can be made with the Fatigue Crack Growth Structural Analysis (FASTRAN II) computer program. As cyclic loads are applied to a selected crack configuration with an initial crack size, FASTRAN II predicts crack growth as a function of cyclic load history until either a desired crack size is reached or failure occurs. FASTRAN II is based on plasticity-induced crack-closure behavior of cracks in metallic materials and accounts for load-interaction effects, such as retardation and acceleration, under variable-amplitude loading. The closure model is based on the Dugdale model with modifications to allow plastically deformed material to be left along the crack surfaces as the crack grows. Plane stress and plane strain conditions, as well as conditions between these two, can be simulated in FASTRAN II by using a constraint factor on tensile yielding at the crack front to approximately account for three-dimensional stress states. FASTRAN II contains seventeen predefined crack configurations (standard laboratory fatigue crack growth rate specimens and many common crack configurations found in structures); and the user can define one additional crack configuration. The baseline crack growth rate properties (effective stress-intensity factor against crack growth rate) may be given in either equation or tabular form. For three-dimensional crack configurations, such as surface cracks or corner cracks at holes or notches, the fatigue crack growth rate properties may be different in the crack depth and crack length directions. Final failure of the cracked structure can be modelled with fracture toughness properties using either linear-elastic fracture mechanics (brittle materials), a two-parameter fracture criterion (brittle to ductile materials), or plastic collapse (extremely ductile materials). The crack configurations in FASTRAN II can be subjected to either constant-amplitude, variable-amplitude or spectrum loading. The applied loads may be either tensile or compressive. Several standardized aircraft flight-load histories, such as TWIST, Mini-TWIST, FALSTAFF, Inverted FALSTAFF, Felix and Gaussian, are included as options. FASTRAN II also includes two other methods that will help the user input spectrum load histories. The two methods are: (1) a list of stress points, and (2) a flight-by-flight history of stress points. Examples are provided in the user manual. Developed as a research program, FASTRAN II has successfully predicted crack growth in many metallic materials under various aircraft spectrum loading. A computer program DKEFF which is a part of the FASTRAN II package was also developed to analyze crack growth rate data from laboratory specimens to obtain the effective stress-intensity factor against crack growth rate relations used in FASTRAN II. FASTRAN II is written in standard FORTRAN 77. It has been successfully compiled and implemented on Sun4 series computers running SunOS and on IBM PC compatibles running MS-DOS using the Lahey F77L FORTRAN compiler. Sample input and output data are included with the FASTRAN II package. The UNIX version requires 660K of RAM for execution. The standard distribution medium for the UNIX version (LAR-14865) is a .25 inch streaming magnetic tape cartridge in UNIX tar format. It is also available on a 3.5 inch diskette in UNIX tar format. The standard distribution medium for the MS-DOS version (LAR-14944) is a 5.25 inch 360K MS-DOS format diskette. The contents of the diskette are compressed using the PKWARE archiving tools. The utility to unarchive the files, PKUNZIP.EXE, is included. The program was developed in 1984 and revised in 1992. Sun4 and SunOS are trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. IBM PC is a trademark of International Business Machines Corp. MS-DOS is a trademark of Microsoft, Inc. F77L is a trademark of the Lahey Computer Systems, Inc. UNIX is a registered trademark of AT&T Bell Laboratories. PKWARE and PKUNZIP are trademarks of PKWare, Inc.

  5. Mathematical analysis of a sharp-diffuse interfaces model for seawater intrusion

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Choquet, C.; Diédhiou, M. M.; Rosier, C.

    2015-10-01

    We consider a new model mixing sharp and diffuse interface approaches for seawater intrusion phenomena in free aquifers. More precisely, a phase field model is introduced in the boundary conditions on the virtual sharp interfaces. We thus include in the model the existence of diffuse transition zones but we preserve the simplified structure allowing front tracking. The three-dimensional problem then reduces to a two-dimensional model involving a strongly coupled system of partial differential equations of parabolic type describing the evolution of the depths of the two free surfaces, that is the interface between salt- and freshwater and the water table. We prove the existence of a weak solution for the model completed with initial and boundary conditions. We also prove that the depths of the two interfaces satisfy a coupled maximum principle.

  6. A Numerical Method for Simulating the Microscopic Damage Evolution in Composites Under Uniaxial Transverse Tension

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhi, Jie; Zhao, Libin; Zhang, Jianyu; Liu, Zhanli

    2016-06-01

    In this paper, a new numerical method that combines a surface-based cohesive model and extended finite element method (XFEM) without predefining the crack paths is presented to simulate the microscopic damage evolution in composites under uniaxial transverse tension. The proposed method is verified to accurately capture the crack kinking into the matrix after fiber/matrix debonding. A statistical representative volume element (SRVE) under periodic boundary conditions is used to approximate the microstructure of the composites. The interface parameters of the cohesive models are investigated, in which the initial interface stiffness has a great effect on the predictions of the fiber/matrix debonding. The detailed debonding states of SRVE with strong and weak interfaces are compared based on the surface-based and element-based cohesive models. The mechanism of damage in composites under transverse tension is described as the appearance of the interface cracks and their induced matrix micro-cracking, both of which coalesce into transversal macro-cracks. Good agreement is found between the predictions of the model and the in situ experimental observations, demonstrating the efficiency of the presented model for simulating the microscopic damage evolution in composites.

  7. On-line Bayesian model updating for structural health monitoring

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rocchetta, Roberto; Broggi, Matteo; Huchet, Quentin; Patelli, Edoardo

    2018-03-01

    Fatigue induced cracks is a dangerous failure mechanism which affects mechanical components subject to alternating load cycles. System health monitoring should be adopted to identify cracks which can jeopardise the structure. Real-time damage detection may fail in the identification of the cracks due to different sources of uncertainty which have been poorly assessed or even fully neglected. In this paper, a novel efficient and robust procedure is used for the detection of cracks locations and lengths in mechanical components. A Bayesian model updating framework is employed, which allows accounting for relevant sources of uncertainty. The idea underpinning the approach is to identify the most probable crack consistent with the experimental measurements. To tackle the computational cost of the Bayesian approach an emulator is adopted for replacing the computationally costly Finite Element model. To improve the overall robustness of the procedure, different numerical likelihoods, measurement noises and imprecision in the value of model parameters are analysed and their effects quantified. The accuracy of the stochastic updating and the efficiency of the numerical procedure are discussed. An experimental aluminium frame and on a numerical model of a typical car suspension arm are used to demonstrate the applicability of the approach.

  8. Dynamics of diffusive bubble growth and pressure recovery in a bubbly rhyolitic melt embedded in an elastic solid

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Chouet, Bernard A.; Dawson, Phillip B.; Nakano, Masaru

    2006-01-01

    We present a model of gas exsolution and bubble expansion in a melt supersaturated in response to a sudden pressure drop. In our model, the melt contains a suspension of gas bubbles of identical sizes and is encased in a penny-shaped crack embedded in an elastic solid. The suspension is modeled as a three-dimensional lattice of spherical cells with slight overlap, where each elementary cell consists of a gas bubble surrounded by a shell of volatile-rich melt. The melt is then subjected to a step drop in pressure, which induces gas exsolution and bubble expansion, resulting in the compression of the melt and volumetric expansion of the crack. The dynamics of diffusion-driven bubble growth and volumetric crack expansion span 9 decades in time. The model demonstrates that the speed of the crack response depends strongly on volatile diffusivity in the melt and bubble number density and is markedly sensitive to the ratio of crack thickness to crack radius and initial bubble radius but is relatively insensitive to melt viscosity. The net drop in gas concentration in the melt after pressure recovery represents only a small fraction of the initial concentration prior to the drop, suggesting the melt may undergo numerous pressure transients before becoming significantly depleted of gases. The magnitude of pressure and volume recovery in the crack depends sensitively on the size of the input-pressure transient, becoming relatively larger for smaller-size transients in a melt containing bubbles with initial radii less than 10-5 m. Amplification of the input transient may be large enough to disrupt the crack wall and induce brittle failure in the rock matrix surrounding the crack. Our results provide additional basis for the interpretation of volume changes in the magma conduit under Popocatépetl Volcano during Vulcanian degassing bursts in its eruptive activity in April–May 2000.

  9. The surface and through crack problems in layered orthotropic plates

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Erdogan, Fazil; Wu, Binghua

    1991-01-01

    An analytical method is developed for a relatively accurate calculation of Stress Intensity Factors in a laminated orthotropic plate containing a through or part-through crack. The laminated plate is assumed to be under bending or membrane loading and the mode 1 problem is considered. First three transverse shear deformation plate theories (Mindlin's displacement based first-order theory, Reissner's stress-based first-order theory, and a simple-higher order theory due to Reddy) are reviewed and examined for homogeneous, laminated and heterogeneous orthotropic plates. Based on a general linear laminated plate theory, a method by which the stress intensity factors can be obtained in orthotropic laminated and heterogeneous plates with a through crack is developed. Examples are given for both symmetrically and unsymmetrically laminated plates and the effects of various material properties on the stress intensity factors are studied. In order to implement the line-spring model which is used later to study the surface crack problem, the corresponding plane elasticity problem of a two-bonded orthotropic plated containing a crack perpendicular to the interface is also considered. Three different crack profiles: an internal crack, an edge crack, and a crack terminating at the interface are considered. The effect of the different material combinations, geometries, and material orthotropy on the stress intensity factors and on the power of stress singularity for a crack terminating at the interface is fully examined. The Line Spring model of Rice and Levy is used for the part-through crack problem. The surface crack is assumed to lie in one of the two-layered laminated orthotropic plates due to the limitation of the available plane strain results. All problems considered are of the mixed boundary value type and are reduced to Cauchy type of singular integral equations which are then solved numerically.

  10. Stress-dependent permeability and wave dispersion in tight cracked rocks: Experimental validation of simple effective medium models

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sarout, Joel; Cazes, Emilie; Delle Piane, Claudio; Arena, Alessio; Esteban, Lionel

    2017-08-01

    We experimentally assess the impact of microstructure, pore fluid, and frequency on wave velocity, wave dispersion, and permeability in thermally cracked Carrara marble under effective pressure up to 50 MPa. The cracked rock is isotropic, and we observe that (1) P and S wave velocities at 500 kHz and the low-strain (<10-5) mechanical moduli at 0.01 Hz are pressure-dependent, (2) permeability decreases asymptotically toward a small value with increasing pressure, (3) wave dispersion between 0.01 Hz and 500 MHz in the water-saturated rock reaches a maximum of 26% for S waves and 9% for P waves at 1 MPa, and (4) wave dispersion virtually vanishes above 30 MPa. Assuming no interactions between the cracks, effective medium theory is used to model the rock's elastic response and its permeability. P and S wave velocity data are jointly inverted to recover the crack density and effective aspect ratio. The permeability data are inverted to recover the cracks' effective radius. These parameters lead to a good agreement between predicted and measured wave velocities, dispersion and permeability up to 50 MPa, and up to a crack density of 0.5. The evolution of the crack parameters suggests that three deformation regimes exist: (1) contact between cracks' surface asperities up to 10 MPa, (2) progressive crack closure between 10 and 30 MPa, and (3) crack closure effectively complete above 30 MPa. The derived crack parameters differ significantly from those obtained by analysis of 2-D electron microscope images of thin sections or 3-D X-ray microtomographic images of millimeter-size specimens.

  11. The static breaking technique for sustainable and eco-environmental coal mining.

    PubMed

    Bing-yuan, Hao; Hui, Huang; Zi-jun, Feng; Kai, Wang

    2014-01-01

    The initiating explosive devices are prohibited in rock breaking near the goaf of the highly gassy mine. It is effective and applicable to cracking the hard roof with static cracking agent. By testing the static cracking of cubic limestone (size: 200 × 200 × 200 mm) with true triaxial rock mechanics testing machine under the effect of bidirectional stress and by monitoring the evolution process of the cracks generated during the acoustic emission experiment of static cracking, we conclude the following: the experiment results of the acoustic emission show that the cracks start from the lower part of the hole wall until they spread all over the sample. The crack growth rate follows a trend of "from rapidness to slowness." The expansion time is different for the two bunches of cracks. The growth rates can be divided into the rapid increasing period and the rapid declining period, of which the growth rate in declining period is less than that in the increasing period. Also, the growth rate along the vertical direction is greater than that of the horizontal direction. Then the extended model for the static cracking is built according to the theories of elastic mechanics and fracture mechanics. Thus the relation formula between the applied forces of cracks and crack expansion radius is obtained. By comparison with the test results, the model proves to be applicable. In accordance with the actual geological situation of Yangquan No. 3 Mine, the basic parameters of manpower manipulated caving breaking with static crushing are settled, which reaps bumper industrial effects.

  12. A pressurized cylindrical shell with a fixed end which contains an axial part-through or through crack

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Yahsi, O. S.; Erdogan, F.

    1985-01-01

    In this paper a cylindrical shell having a very stiff end plate or a flange is considered. It is assumed that near the end the cylinder contains an axial flow which may be modeled as a part-through surface crack or through crack. The primary objective is to study the effect of the end constraining on the stress intensity factor which is the main fracture mechanics parameter. The applied loads acting on the cylinder are assumed to be axisymmetric. Thus the crack problem under consideration is symmetric with respect to the plane of the crack and consequently only the mode I stress intensity factors are nonzero. With this limitation, the general perturbation problem for a cylinder with a built-in end containing an axial crack is considered. Reissner's shell theory is used to formulate the problem. The part-through crack problem is treated by using a line-spring model. In the case of a crack tip terminating at the fixed end it is shown that the integral equation of the shell problem has the same generalized Cauchy kernel as the corresponding plane stress elasticity problem. Even though the problem is formulated for a general surface crack profile and arbitrary crack surface tractions, the numerical results are obtained only for a semielliptic part-through axial crack located at the inside or outside surface of the cylinder and for internal pressure acting on the cylinder. The stress intensity factors are calculated and presented for a relatively wide range of dimensionless length parameters of the problem.

  13. 75 FR 70101 - Airworthiness Directives; Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation (Sikorsky) Model S-70A and S-70C Helicopters

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-11-17

    ... test (UT) inspection of the tail gearbox output bevel gear (gear) for a crack. If you find a crack... gear cracking incidents, one of which resulted in the tail rotor separating from the helicopter. The actions specified by this AD are intended to detect a crack in the gear to prevent a tail rotor separating...

  14. 75 FR 26888 - Airworthiness Directives; Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation (Sikorsky) Model S-70A and S-70C Helicopters

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-05-13

    ... (gear) for a crack. If you find a crack, replacing the gear with an airworthy gear before further flight would be required. This proposal is prompted by three gear cracking incidents, one of which resulted in... to detect a crack in the gear to prevent a tail rotor separating, loss of tail rotor control, and...

  15. Airframe integrity based on Bayesian approach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hurtado Cahuao, Jose Luis

    Aircraft aging has become an immense challenge in terms of ensuring the safety of the fleet while controlling life cycle costs. One of the major concerns in aircraft structures is the development of fatigue cracks in the fastener holes. A probabilistic-based method has been proposed to manage this problem. In this research, the Bayes' theorem is used to assess airframe integrity by updating generic data with airframe inspection data while such data are compiled. This research discusses the methodology developed for assessment of loss of airframe integrity due to fatigue cracking in the fastener holes of an aging platform. The methodology requires a probability density function (pdf) at the end of SAFE life. Subsequently, a crack growth regime begins. As the Bayesian analysis requires information of a prior initial crack size pdf, such a pdf is assumed and verified to be lognormally distributed. The prior distribution of crack size as cracks grow is modeled through a combined Inverse Power Law (IPL) model and lognormal relationships. The first set of inspections is used as the evidence for updating the crack size distribution at the various stages of aircraft life. Moreover, the materials used in the structural part of the aircrafts have variations in their properties due to their calibration errors and machine alignment. A Matlab routine (PCGROW) is developed to calculate the crack distribution growth through three different crack growth models. As the first step, the material properties and the initial crack size are sampled. A standard Monte Carlo simulation is employed for this sampling process. At the corresponding aircraft age, the crack observed during the inspections, is used to update the crack size distribution and proceed in time. After the updating, it is possible to estimate the probability of structural failure as a function of flight hours for a given aircraft in the future. The results show very accurate and useful values related to the reliability and integrity of airframes in aging aircrafts. Inspection data shown in this dissertation are not the actual data from known aircrafts and are only used to demonstrate the methodologies.

  16. Measurement and analysis of critical crack tip processes during fatigue crack growth

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Davidson, D. L.; Hudak, S. J.; Dexter, R. J.

    1985-01-01

    The mechanics of fatigue crack growth under constant-amplitudes and variable-amplitude loading were examined. Critical loading histories involving relatively simple overload and overload/underload cycles were studied to provide a basic understanding of the underlying physical processes controlling crack growth. The material used for this study was 7091-T7E69, a powder metallurgy aluminum alloy. Local crack-tip parameters were measured at various times before, during, and after the overloads, these include crack-tip opening loads and displacements, and crack-tip strain fields. The latter were useed, in combination with the materials cyclic and monotonic stress-strain properties, to compute crack-tip residual stresses. The experimental results are also compared with analytical predictions obtained using the FAST-2 computer code. The sensitivity of the analytical model to constant-amplitude fatigue crack growth rate properties and to through-thickness constrain are studied.

  17. Simulation of 90{degrees} ply fatigue crack growth along the width of cross-ply carbon-epoxy coupons

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Henaff-Gardin, C.; Urwald, E.; Lafarie-Frenot, M.C.

    1994-07-01

    We study the mechanism of fatigue cracking of the matrix of cross-ply carbon-epoxy laminates. Primary attention is given to the study of the influence of the specimen width on the evolution of damage. On the basis of shear lag analysis, we determine the strain energy release rate in the processes of initiation and growth of transverse fatigue cracks. We also present results of experimental research on the evolution of the edge crack density per ply, the average length of the cracks, and the crack propagation rate under transverse fatigue cracking. It is shown that these characteristics are independent of themore » specimen width. At the same time, as soon as the edge crack density reaches its saturation value, the average crack growth rate becomes constant. All the experimental results are in good agreement with results obtained by using the theoretical model.« less

  18. Fracture-Based Mesh Size Requirements for Matrix Cracks in Continuum Damage Mechanics Models

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Leone, Frank A.; Davila, Carlos G.; Mabson, Gerald E.; Ramnath, Madhavadas; Hyder, Imran

    2017-01-01

    This paper evaluates the ability of progressive damage analysis (PDA) finite element (FE) models to predict transverse matrix cracks in unidirectional composites. The results of the analyses are compared to closed-form linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) solutions. Matrix cracks in fiber-reinforced composite materials subjected to mode I and mode II loading are studied using continuum damage mechanics and zero-thickness cohesive zone modeling approaches. The FE models used in this study are built parametrically so as to investigate several model input variables and the limits associated with matching the upper-bound LEFM solutions. Specifically, the sensitivity of the PDA FE model results to changes in strength and element size are investigated.

  19. Counter-intuitive quasi-periodic motion in the autonomous vibration of cracked Timoshenko beams

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Brandon, J. A.; Abraham, O. N. L.

    1995-08-01

    The time domain behaviour of a cracked Timoshenko beam is constructed by alternation of two linear models corresponding to the open and closed condition of the crack. It might be expected that a response which is composed of the alternation of two systems with different properties would extinguish the periodicities of the constituent sub-models. The numerical studies presented illustrate the perpetuation of these features without showing any evidence for the creation of periodicities based on a common assumption of the mean period of a bilinear model.

  20. Oxidation of Carbon/Carbon through Coating Cracks

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jacobson, N. S.; Roth, d. J.; Rauser, R. W.; Cawley, J. D.; Curry, D. M.

    2008-01-01

    Reinforced carbon/carbon (RCC) is used to protect the wing leading edge and nose cap of the Space Shuttle Orbiter on re-entry. It is composed of a lay-up of carbon/carbon fabric protected by a SiC conversion coating. Due to the thermal expansion mismatch of the carbon/carbon and the SiC, the SiC cracks on cool-down from the processing temperature. The cracks act as pathways for oxidation of the carbon/carbon. A model for the diffusion controlled oxidation of carbon/carbon through machined slots and cracks is developed and compared to laboratory experiments. A symmetric cylindrical oxidation cavity develops under the slots, confirming diffusion control. Comparison of cross sectional dimensions as a function of oxidation time shows good agreement with the model. A second set of oxidation experiments was done with samples with only the natural craze cracks, using weight loss as an index of oxidation. The agreement of these rates with the model is quite reasonab

  1. Stability analysis and backward whirl investigation of cracked rotors with time-varying stiffness

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    AL-Shudeifat, Mohammad A.

    2015-07-01

    The dynamic stability of dynamical systems with time-periodic stiffness is addressed here. Cracked rotor systems with time-periodic stiffness are well-known examples of such systems. Time-varying area moments of inertia at the cracked element cross-section of a cracked rotor have been used to formulate the time-periodic finite element stiffness matrix. The semi-infinite coefficient matrix obtained by applying the harmonic balance (HB) solution to the finite element (FE) equations of motion is employed here to study the dynamic stability of the system. Consequently, the sign of the determinant of a scaled version of a sub-matrix of this semi-infinite coefficient matrix at a finite number of harmonics in the HB solution is found to be sufficient for identifying the major unstable zones of the system in the parameter plane. Specifically, it is found that the negative determinant always corresponds to unstable zones in all of the systems considered. This approach is applied to a parametrically excited Mathieu's equation, a two degree-of-freedom linear time-periodic dynamical system, a cracked Jeffcott rotor and a finite element model of the cracked rotor system. Compared to the corresponding results obtained by Floquet's theory, the sign of the determinant of the scaled sub-matrix is found to be an efficient tool for identifying the major unstable zones of the linear time-periodic parametrically excited systems, especially large-scale FE systems. Moreover, it is found that the unstable zones for a FE cracked rotor with an open transverse crack model only appear at the backward whirl. The theoretical and experimental results have been found to agree well for verifying that the open crack model excites the backward whirl amplitudes at the critical backward whirling rotational speeds.

  2. Line-spring model for surface cracks in a Reissner plate

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Delale, F.; Erdogan, F.

    1981-01-01

    In this paper the line-spring model developed by Rice and Levy for a surface crack in elastic plates is reconsidered. The problem is formulated by using Reissner's plate bending theory. For the plane strain problem of a strip containing an edge crack and subjected to tension and bending new expressions for stress intensity factors are used which are valid up to a depth-to-thickness ratio of 0.8. The stress intensity factors for a semi-elliptic and a rectangular crack are calculated. Considering the simplicity of the technique and the severity of the underlying assumptions, the results compare rather well with the existing finite element solutions.

  3. Oxidation Through Coating Cracks of SiC-Protected Carbon/Carbon

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jacobson, Nathan S.; Roth, Don J.; Rauser, Richard W.; Cawley, James D.; Curry, Donald M.

    2008-01-01

    The oxidation of SiC-protected carbon/carbon through machined slots and naturally occurring craze cracks in the SiC was studied. The slot and crack geometries were characterized, and the subsurface oxidation of the carbon/carbon substrate at temperatures of 1000 to 1300 C in air was assessed using weight change, x-ray computed tomography, and optical microscopy of sections. Rate constants were derived from these measurements and compared with a two-step diffusion control model of carbon oxidation. Oxidation kinetic measurements on both the specimens with machined slots and with naturally occurring craze cracks showed good agreement with the model.

  4. Scaled boundary finite element simulation and modeling of the mechanical behavior of cracked nanographene sheets

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Honarmand, M.; Moradi, M.

    2018-06-01

    In this paper, by using scaled boundary finite element method (SBFM), a perfect nanographene sheet or cracked ones were simulated for the first time. In this analysis, the atomic carbon bonds were modeled by simple bar elements with circular cross-sections. Despite of molecular dynamics (MD), the results obtained from SBFM analysis are quite acceptable for zero degree cracks. For all angles except zero, Griffith criterion can be applied for the relation between critical stress and crack length. Finally, despite the simplifications used in nanographene analysis, obtained results can simulate the mechanical behavior with high accuracy compared with experimental and MD ones.

  5. Oxidation Through Coating Cracks of SiC-Protected Carbon/Carbon

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jacobson, Nathan S.; Roth, Don J.; Rauser, Richard W.; Curry, Donald M.

    2007-01-01

    The oxidation of SiC-protected carbon/carbon through machined slots and naturally occurring craze cracks in the SiC was studied. The slot and crack geometries were characterized, and the subsurface oxidation of the carbon/carbon substrate at temperatures of 1000 to 1300 C in air was assessed using weight change, x-ray computed tomography, and optical microscopy of sections. Rate constants were derived from these measurements and compared with a two-step diffusion control model of carbon oxidation. Oxidation kinetic measurements on both the specimens with machined slots and with naturally occurring craze cracks showed good agreement with the model.

  6. A Comparison Study of Machine Learning Based Algorithms for Fatigue Crack Growth Calculation.

    PubMed

    Wang, Hongxun; Zhang, Weifang; Sun, Fuqiang; Zhang, Wei

    2017-05-18

    The relationships between the fatigue crack growth rate ( d a / d N ) and stress intensity factor range ( Δ K ) are not always linear even in the Paris region. The stress ratio effects on fatigue crack growth rate are diverse in different materials. However, most existing fatigue crack growth models cannot handle these nonlinearities appropriately. The machine learning method provides a flexible approach to the modeling of fatigue crack growth because of its excellent nonlinear approximation and multivariable learning ability. In this paper, a fatigue crack growth calculation method is proposed based on three different machine learning algorithms (MLAs): extreme learning machine (ELM), radial basis function network (RBFN) and genetic algorithms optimized back propagation network (GABP). The MLA based method is validated using testing data of different materials. The three MLAs are compared with each other as well as the classical two-parameter model ( K * approach). The results show that the predictions of MLAs are superior to those of K * approach in accuracy and effectiveness, and the ELM based algorithms show overall the best agreement with the experimental data out of the three MLAs, for its global optimization and extrapolation ability.

  7. Residual Strength Prediction of Fuselage Structures with Multiple Site Damage

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chen, Chuin-Shan; Wawrzynek, Paul A.; Ingraffea, Anthony R.

    1999-01-01

    This paper summarizes recent results on simulating full-scale pressure tests of wide body, lap-jointed fuselage panels with multiple site damage (MSD). The crack tip opening angle (CTOA) fracture criterion and the FRANC3D/STAGS software program were used to analyze stable crack growth under conditions of general yielding. The link-up of multiple cracks and residual strength of damaged structures were predicted. Elastic-plastic finite element analysis based on the von Mises yield criterion and incremental flow theory with small strain assumption was used. A global-local modeling procedure was employed in the numerical analyses. Stress distributions from the numerical simulations are compared with strain gage measurements. Analysis results show that accurate representation of the load transfer through the rivets is crucial for the model to predict the stress distribution accurately. Predicted crack growth and residual strength are compared with test data. Observed and predicted results both indicate that the occurrence of small MSD cracks substantially reduces the residual strength. Modeling fatigue closure is essential to capture the fracture behavior during the early stable crack growth. Breakage of a tear strap can have a major influence on residual strength prediction.

  8. Universal Shapes formed by Interacting Cracks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fender, Melissa; Lechenault, Frederic; Daniels, Karen

    2011-03-01

    Brittle failure through multiple cracks occurs in a wide variety of contexts, from microscopic failures in dental enamel and cleaved silicon to geological faults and planetary ice crusts. In each of these situations, with complicated curvature and stress geometries, pairwise interactions between approaching cracks nonetheless produce characteristically curved fracture paths known in the geologic literature as en passant cracks. While the fragmentation of solids via many interacting cracks has seen wide investigation, less attention has been paid to the details of individual crack-crack interactions. We investigate the origins of this widely observed crack pattern using a rectangular elastic plate which is notched on each long side and then subjected to quasistatic uniaxial strain from the short side. The two cracks propagate along approximately straight paths until the pass each other, after which they curve and release a lenticular fragment. We find that, for materials with diverse mechanical properties, the shape of this fragment has an aspect ratio of 2:1, with the length scale set by the initial cracks offset s and the time scale set by the ratio of s to the pulling velocity. The cracks have a universal square root shape, which we understand by using a simple geometric model and the crack-crack interaction.

  9. Implementation of a Smeared Crack Band Model in a Micromechanics Framework

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pineda, Evan J.; Bednarcyk, Brett A.; Waas, Anthony M.; Arnold, Steven M.

    2012-01-01

    The smeared crack band theory is implemented within the generalized method of cells and high-fidelity generalized method of cells micromechanics models to capture progressive failure within the constituents of a composite material while retaining objectivity with respect to the size of the discretization elements used in the model. An repeating unit cell containing 13 randomly arranged fibers is modeled and subjected to a combination of transverse tension/compression and transverse shear loading. The implementation is verified against experimental data (where available), and an equivalent finite element model utilizing the same implementation of the crack band theory. To evaluate the performance of the crack band theory within a repeating unit cell that is more amenable to a multiscale implementation, a single fiber is modeled with generalized method of cells and high-fidelity generalized method of cells using a relatively coarse subcell mesh which is subjected to the same loading scenarios as the multiple fiber repeating unit cell. The generalized method of cells and high-fidelity generalized method of cells models are validated against a very refined finite element model.

  10. A discontinuous finite element approach to cracking in coupled poro-elastic fluid flow models

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wilson, C. R.; Spiegelman, M. W.; Evans, O.; Ulven, O. I.; Sun, W.

    2016-12-01

    Reaction-driven cracking is a coupled process whereby fluid-induced reactions drive large volume changes in the host rock which produce stresses leading to crack propagation and failure. This in turn generates new surface area and fluid-flow pathways for subsequent reaction in a potentially self-sustaining system. This mechanism has has been proposed for the pervasive serpentinization and carbonation of peridotite, as well as applications to mineral carbon sequestration and hydrocarbon extraction. The key computational issue in this problem is implementing algorithms that adequately model the formation of discrete fractures. Here we present models using a discontinuous finite element method for modeling fracture formation (Radovitsky et al., 2011). Cracks are introduced along facets of the mesh by the relaxation of penalty parameters once a failure criterion is met. It is fully described in the weak form of the equations, requiring no modification of the underlying mesh structure and allowing fluid properties to be easily adjusted along cracked facets. To develop and test the method, we start by implementing the algorithm for the simplified Biot equations for poro-elasticity using the finite element model assembler TerraFERMA. We consider hydro-fracking around a borehole (Grassl et al., 2015), where elevated fluid pressure in the poro-elastic solid causes it to fail radially in tension. We investigate the effects of varying the Biot coefficient and adjusting the fluid transport properties in the vicinity of the crack and compare our results to related dual-graph models (Ulven & Sun, submitted). We discuss issues arising from this method, including the formation of null spaces and appropriate preconditioning and solution strategies. Initial results suggest that this method provides a promising way to incorporate cracking into our reactive fluid flow models and future work aims to integrate the mechanical and chemical aspects of this process.

  11. Modeling of slow crack propagation in heterogeneous rocks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lengliné, Olivier; Stormo, Arne; Hansen, Alex; Schmittbuhl, Jean

    2015-04-01

    Crack propagation in heterogeneous media is a rich problem which involves the interplay of various physical processes. The problem has been intensively investigated theoretically, numerically, and experimentally, but a unifying model capturing all the experimental features has not been entirely achieved despite its broad range of implications in Earth sciences problems. The slow propagation of a crack front where long range elastic interactions are dominant, is of crucial importance to fill the gap between experiments and models. Several theoretical and numerical works have been devoted to quasi-static models. Such models give rise to an intermittent local activity characterized by a depinning transition and can be viewed as a critical phenomenon. However these models fail to reproduce all experimental conditions, notably the front morphology does not display any cross-over length with two different roughness exponents above and below the cross-over as observed experimentally. Here, we compare experimental observations of a slow interfacial crack propagation along an heterogeneous interface to numerical simulations from a cantilever fiber bundle model. The model consists of a planar set of brittle fibers between an elastic half-space and a rigid square root shaped plate which loads the system in a cantilever configuration. The latter is shown to provide an improved opening and stress field in the process zone around the crack tip. The model shares a similar scale invariant roughening of the crack front both at small and large scales and a similar power law distribution of the local velocity of the crack front to experiments. Implications for induced seismicity at the brittle-creep transition are discussed. We show that a creep route for induced seismicity is possible when heterogeneities exist along the fault. Indeed, seismic event occurrences in time and space are in strong relation with the development of the aseismic motion recorded during the experiment and the model. We also infer the statistical properties of the organization of the seismicity that shows strong space-time clustering. We conclude that aseismic processes might drive seismicity in the brittle-creep regime.

  12. Numerical computation of central crack growth in an active particle of electrodes influenced by multiple factors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Yuwei; Guo, Zhansheng

    2018-03-01

    Mechanical degradation, especially fractures in active particles in an electrode, is a major reason why the capacity of lithium-ion batteries fades. This paper proposes a model that couples Li-ion diffusion, stress evolution, and damage mechanics to simulate the growth of central cracks in cathode particles (LiMn2O4) by an extended finite element method by considering the influence of multiple factors. The simulation shows that particles are likely to crack at a high discharge rate, when the particle radius is large, or when the initial central crack is longer. It also shows that the maximum principal tensile stress decreases and cracking becomes more difficult when the influence of crack surface diffusion is considered. The fracturing process occurs according to the following stages: no crack growth, stable crack growth, and unstable crack growth. Changing the charge/discharge strategy before unstable crack growth sets in is beneficial to prevent further capacity fading during electrochemical cycling.

  13. [Mechanism of the dentino-enamel junction on the resist-crack propagation of human teeth by the finite element method].

    PubMed

    Jingjing, Zheng; Tiezhou, Hou; Hong, Tao; Xueyan, Guo; Cui, Wu

    2014-10-01

    This study aims to identify the crack tip stress intensity factor of the propagation process, crack propagation path, and the changes in the shape of the crack tip by the finite element method. The finite element model of dentino-enamel junction was established with ANSYS software, and the length of the initial crack in the single edge was set to 0.1 mm. The lower end of the sample was fixed. The tensile load of 1 MPa with frequency of 5 Hz was applied to the upper end. The stress intensity factor, deflection angle, and changes in the shape of the crack tip in the crack propagation were calculated by ANSYS. The stress intensity factor suddenly and continuously decreased in dentino-enamel junction as the crack extended. A large skewed angle appeared, and the stress on crack tip was reduced. The dentino-enamel junction on human teeth may resist crack propagation through stress reduction.

  14. Fracture mechanics and surface chemistry investigations of environment-assisted crack growth

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wei, R. P.; Klier, K.; Simmons, G. W.; Chou, Y. T.

    1984-01-01

    It is pointed out that environment-assisted subcritical crack growth in high-strength steels and other high-strength alloys (particularly in hydrogen and in hydrogenous environments) is an important technological problem of long standing. This problem is directly related to issues of structural integrity, durability, and reliability. The terms 'hydrogen embrittlement' and 'stress corrosion cracking' have been employed to describe the considered phenomenon. This paper provides a summary of contributions made during the past ten years toward the understanding of environmentally assisted crack growth. The processes involved in crack growth are examined, and details regarding crack growth and chemical reactions are discussed, taking into account crack growth in steels exposed to water/water vapor, the effect of hydrogen, reactions involving hydrogen sulfide, and aspects of fracture surface morphology and composition. Attention is also given to the modeling of crack growth response, crack growth in gas mixtures, and the interaction of solute atoms with the crack-tip stress field.

  15. Retardation analytical model to extend service life

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Matejczyk, J.

    1984-01-01

    A fatigue crack growth model that incorporates crack growth retardation effects and is applicable to the materials characteristics and service environments of high performance LH2/LO2 engine systems is discussed. Future Research plans are outlined.

  16. Phase 1 report on the development of predictive model for bridge deck cracking and strength development.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2009-01-01

    Early-age cracking, typically caused by drying shrinkage (and often coupled with autogenous and thermal : shrinkage), can have several detrimental effects on long-term behavior and durability. Cracking can also provide : ingress of water that can dri...

  17. GENSURF: A mesh generator for 3D finite element analysis of surface and corner cracks in finite thickness plates subjected to mode-1 loadings

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Raju, I. S.

    1992-01-01

    A computer program that generates three-dimensional (3D) finite element models for cracked 3D solids was written. This computer program, gensurf, uses minimal input data to generate 3D finite element models for isotropic solids with elliptic or part-elliptic cracks. These models can be used with a 3D finite element program called surf3d. This report documents this mesh generator. In this manual the capabilities, limitations, and organization of gensurf are described. The procedures used to develop 3D finite element models and the input for and the output of gensurf are explained. Several examples are included to illustrate the use of this program. Several input data files are included with this manual so that the users can edit these files to conform to their crack configuration and use them with gensurf.

  18. An energy-consistent fracture model for ferroelectrics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Miao, Hongchen; Li, Faxin

    2017-02-01

    The fracture behavior of ferroelectrics has been intensively studied in recent decades, though currently a widely accepted fracture mechanism is still lacking. In this work, enlightened by previous experimental observations that crack propagation in ferroelectrics is always accompanied by domain switching, we propose a micromechanical model in which both crack propagation and domain switching are controlled by energy-based criteria. Both electric energy and mechanical energy can induce domain switching, while only mechanical energy can drive crack propagation. Furthermore, constrained domain switching is considered in this model, leading to the gradient domain switching zone near the crack tip. Analysis results show that stress-induced ferroelastic switching always has a toughening effect as the mechanical energy release rate serves as the driving force for both fracture and domain switching. In comparison, the electric-field-induced switching may have either a toughening or detoughening effect. The proposed model can qualitatively agree with the existing experimental results.

  19. Damage evolution and mechanical response of cross-ply ceramic composite laminates

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Weitsman, Y.; Yu, N.; Zhu, H.

    1995-12-31

    A mechanistic model for the damage evolution and mechanical response of cross-ply ceramic composite laminates under monotonically increasing uniaxial tension is presented. The model accounts for a variety of damage mechanisms evolving in cross-ply ceramic composite laminates, such as fiber-bridged matrix cracks in 0{degrees}-plies, transversely oriented matrix cracks in 90{degrees}-plies, and slips at 0{degrees}/90{degrees} ply interfaces as well as at the fiber/matrix interfaces. Energy criteria are developed to determine the creation and progression of matrix cracks and slip zones. The model predicts that the crack density in 0{degrees}-plies becomes higher than that within the 90{degrees}-plies as the applied load ismore » incrementally increased, which agrees with the experimental observation. It is also shown that the model provides a reasonable prediction for the nonlinear stress-strain behavior of crossply SiC/CAS ceramic composites.« less

  20. Macro and micro mechanics behavior of granite after heat treatment by cluster model in particle flow code

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tian, Wen-Ling; Yang, Sheng-Qi; Huang, Yan-Hua

    2018-02-01

    In this paper, a cluster model in particle flow code was used to simulate granite specimens after heat treatment under uniaxial compression. The results demonstrated that micro-cracks are randomly distributed in the specimen when the temperature is below 300 {°}C, and have partial coalescence when the temperature is up to 450 {°}C, then form macro-cracks when the temperature is above 600 {°}C. There is more inter-granular cracking than intra-granular cracking, and their ratio increases with increasing temperature. The micro-cracks are almost constant when the temperature decreases from 900 {°}C to room temperature, except for quartz α -β phase transition temperature (573 {°}C). The fracture evolution process is obviously affected by these cracks, especially at 600-900 {°}C. Elevated temperature leads to easily developed displacement between the grains, and the capacity to store strain energy becomes weaker, corresponding to the plasticity of granite after heat treatment.

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