Patahan dan K elelahan

Yudy Surya Irawan

1. Stress Intensity Factor K and Plastic Zone Size rp

Stress intensity factor is a parameter to describe the stress distribution around the
crack tip based on coordinate system at crack tip. The one of commonly used coordinate
systems can be shown in Figure 1.2.
In case of mode I crack with tensile stress on the crack, the relationhips between stress
around the crack tip and the stress intensity factor will be in Equation 1.1.
KI  θ   θ   3θ 
σ xx = cos  1 − sin  sin 
2πr  2   2   2 

KI  θ   θ   3θ 
σ yy = cos  1 + sin  sin 
2πr  2   2   2 

KI  θ   θ   3θ  …….(1.1)
τ xy = cos  sin  cos 
2πr  2  2  2 

σ ZZ = 0 (Plane stress) σ ZZ = ν (σ xx + σ yy ) (Plane strain)

τ xz , τ yz = 0
σyy
with : KI : mode I stress intensity factor. σxy
ν : poisson’s ratio. σyz
σxz
σxx
Mode I load
σzz
y
or
Tensile Load r
x
θ
Crack Tip
O

Figure 1.2 Definition of the coordinate axis at crack tip.

When θ =0 the shear stress is zero which mean the crack plane is a principal plane or
pure Mode I loading. In this condition, the stress in x and y direction are equal to :
KI
σ xx = σ yy = ……………..(1.2)
2πr

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The distribution of the stress normal to the crack plane σyy versus distance from the
crack tip can be seen in Fig.1.3.

σyy

θ=0

σ∞
KI
2πr
Crack
r
Figure 1.3 Stress σyy as function of r at the crack tip.

From stress intensity factor, the condition of the crack tip can be defined in the
function of stress, r and θ.
Furthermore, based on Westergaard, in case of infinite plate under biaxial loading as
shown in Fig.1.4, the Westergaard stress function Z (z) is shown in Equation (1.3).
σ

x σ
2a

Figure 1.4 Through-thickness crack in an infinite plate loaded in biaxial tension

σ ⋅z
Z (z ) = ………….(1.3)
z2 -a2
with σ : remote stress ; a : a half of crack length．In case of y=0 and –a<x<a with the real
value of Z forx>a, the normal stress on the fracture surface is
σ⋅x
σ xx = σ yy = Re Z = ………………..(1.4)
x2 − a2
Then, considering the horizontal distance from crack tip r = x – a, then by substituting x =
a + r to Eq. (1.4), it becomes

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σ (a + r ) σ (1 + r a ) σ (1 + r a )
σ xx = σ yy = = = ….(1.4a)
(a + r )2 − a 2 ( r 2 a 2 ) + ( 2ar a 2 ) ( r 2 a 2 ) + ( 2r a )
when r <<a , Equation (1.4a) becomes

σ a
σ xx = σ yy = ………………..(1.5)
2r
Here, Equation（1.2）and (1.5) are in the same stress condition.Thus, by substituting
Equation (1.2) to Eq.(1.5),00 it will result mode I stress intensity factor KI as :

K I = σ πa ..……………..(1.6)
Furthermore, in linear elastic stress analysis, the stress in the crack tip is infinite.
However, in the real condition the stress in the crack tip is finite because the crack tip
radius must be finite as proposed by Inglis. As crack propagated the crack tip becomes
yielding and endures plastic deformation. One of common methods to calculates the plastic
zone is Irwin’s Method. In this method, the crack tip is assumed to be applied by mode I
stress with θ = 0 and as a function of r from the crack tip, the plastic zone is defined as rp
when the stress σyy equals to yield stress of cracked material σy. For details it can be seen in
Fig.1.5. Using Equation (1.2), by substituting the value of σyy = σy , the plastic zone rp is

2
1  K I 

rp = ………(1.7)
2π  σ y 


σyy Elastic

θ=0

Elastic
Plastic

Crack
r
rp

Figure 1.5 Definition of plastic zone, rp based on Irwin’s Approach.

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1-2-3 Stress Intensity Factor K and Energy Release Rate G

Based on Irwin, energy release rate G is the available energy to make crack propagate
that can be expressed by Equation (1.8)
dΠ
G =− …………..(1.8)
dA
with G : Energy Release Rate [N.m/m2]
dΠ: Potential energy change on cracked body [N.m]
dA : Increment in crack area [m2]

Load a a+ da
a+ da P
A B

C D
P O ∆1 ∆2
Displacement
Figure 1.6 Principle of energy release rate, G
As shown in Figure 1.6，in case of a body that contains initital crack area a and the

applied by load P, the strain energy of initial crack area a is E strain(a) =Area OAC. Then

strain energy of the body with crack area with increment of crack area da, a + da, E
strain(a+da) =Area OBD．Thus, the change of potential energy on cracked body, dΠ is dΠ =

E strain (a+da) − E strain (a) . Using Equation（1.8）, energy release rate G becomes :
E strain ( a +da ) − E strain ( a )
G = …………………..(1.9)
da
If this value of energy release rate G is greater than a critial energy release rate G c that is
obtained from experiments, the crack will propagate in that crack body in Fig. 1.6.
Naturally, the higher the load P, the higher energy release rate G will be.
Based on Griffith, the energy balance for increment of crack area dA can be
expressed in Equation (1.10) below :
dE dΠ dW s
= + =0
dA dA dA …………(1.10)
dΠ dWS
− =
dA dA
with E : total energy ；Π : the potential energy supplied by the internal strain and external

forces ; WS : the work required to create new surfaces.

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For the problem in Fig.1.7, Griffith had used Inglis’s stress analysis, as a result the
potential energy Π becomes：

πσ 2 a 2 B
Π = Π0 − …………(1.11)
E
with， Π0 : the potential energy of an uncracked plate, B：plate thickness, E:
modulus of elasticity．
Therefore, the Equation (1.11) becomes Equation (1.12) below that equals to energy
release rate.
dΠ πσ 2 a
− = =G ………….(1.12)
dA E

2a

Figure 1.7 A through-thickness crack in an infinitely wide plate subjected to a remote

tensile stress

Here, by substituting Eq.（1.6）to Eq.（1.12）will yield the relation between energy

release rate and stress intensity factor. For mode I crack, this relation can be seen in
equations below :

K I2
G = [N.m/m2] in plane stress condition (σzz = 0) ………(1.13)
E

G =
K I2
(1 − ν 2 ) [N.m/m2] in plane strain condition (εzz = 0) ……..(1.14)
E

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