The crack opening displacement approach to fracture mechanics in yielding materials

Abstract

An introduction is given to the fracture mechanics approach employing the concept of crack opening displacement for application to situations in which linear elastic fracture mechanics is invalidated by yielding. The hypothesis of a critical crack opening displacement to fracture has been examined experimentally using mild steel specimens of vastly differing dimensions. Subsidiary experiments have been carried out to define the factors responsible for the apparent effect of absolute size on the results. A theoretical analysis simulates elastic-plastic conditions to give a relationship between applied stresses and strains, crack length, and crack opening displacement.