Particle Discontinuous Deformation Analysis of Static and Dynamic Crack Propagation in Brittle Material

Crack propagation in brittle material is not only crucial for structural safety evaluation,but also has a wideranging impact on material design,damage assessment,resource extraction,and scientific research.A thorough investigation into the behavior of crack propagation contributes to a better understanding and control of the properties of brittle materials,thereby enhancing the reliability and safety of both materials and structures.As an implicit discrete elementmethod,the Discontinuous Deformation Analysis(DDA)has gained significant attention for its developments and applications in recent years.Among these developments,the particle DDA equipped with the bonded particle model is a powerful tool for predicting the whole process of material from continuity to failure.The primary objective of this research is to develop and utilize the particle DDAtomodel and understand the complex behavior of cracks in brittle materials under both static and dynamic loadings.The particle DDA is applied to several classical crack propagation problems,including the crack branching,compact tensile test,Kalthoff impact experiment,and tensile test of a rectangular plate with a hole.The evolutions of cracks under various stress or geometrical conditions are carefully investigated.The simulated results are compared with the experiments and other numerical results.It is found that the crack propagation patterns,including crack branching and the formation of secondary cracks,can be well reproduced.The results show that the particle DDA is a qualified method for crack propagation problems,providing valuable insights into the fracture mechanism of brittle materials.

Experimental study on 3D internal penny-shaped crack propagation in brittle materials under uniaxial compression

Fractures are widely present in geomaterials of civil engineering and deep underground engineering.Given that geomaterials are usually brittle,the fractures can significantly affect the evaluation of underground engineering construction safety and the early warning of rock failure.However,the crack initiation and propagation in brittle materials under composite loading remain unknown so far.In this study,a three-dimensional internal laser-engraved cracking technique was applied to produce internal cracks without causing damage to the surfaces.The uniaxial compression tests were performed on a brittle material with internal cracks to investigate the propagation of these internal cracks at different dip angles under compression and shear.The test results show that the wing crack propagation mainly occurs in the specimen with an inclined internal crack,which is a mixed-ModeⅠ–Ⅱ–Ⅲfracture;in contrast,ModeⅠfracture is present in the specimen with a vertical internal crack.The fractography characteristics of ModeⅢfracture display a lance-like pattern.The fracture mechanism in the brittle material under compression is that the internal wing cracks propagate to the ends of the whole sample and cause the final failure.The initial deflection angle of the wing crack is determined by the participation ratio of stress intensity factors KII to KI at the tip of the internal crack.

ANALYTICAL SOLUTIONS FOR A MODE Ⅲ CRACK IN PIEZOELECTRIC MATERIALS

A mode Ⅲ crack problem in a transversely isotropic piezoelectric material subjected to uniform loads at infinity is studied based on exact boundary conditions. The complex potential approach is used to reduce the problem to Hilbert problem. As a result, closed form field solutions in the piezoelectric material and inside the crack are presented. It is shown that the stresses and electric displacement have square root singularities at the crack tips, but the electric field is uniform everywhere in the material and equal to the remote applied one. It is also found that the electric displacement intensity factor depends on both material properties and the mechanical loads, but not the electric loads. Hence it may be concluded that the electric loads have no influence on the field singularities.

The asymptotic field of mode Ⅰ quasi-static crack growth on the interface between a rigid and a pressure-sensitive material

A mechanical model of the quasi-static interface of a mode I crack between a rigid and a pressure-sensitive viscoelastic material was established to investigate the mechanical characteristic of ship-building engineering hi-materials. In the stable growth stage, stress and strain have the same singularity, ie （σ, ε） ∝ r^-1/（n-1）. The variable-separable asymptotic solutions of stress and strain at the crack tip were obtained by adopting Airy＇s stress function and the numerical results of stress and strain in the crack-tip field were obtained by the shooting method. The results showed that the near-tip fields are mainly governed by the power-hardening exponent n and the Poisson ratio v of the pressure-sensitive material. The fracture criterion of mode I quasi-static crack growth in pressure-sensitive materials, according to the asymptotic analyses of the crack-tip field, can be viewed from the perspective of strain.

Finite Element Analysis on Plane Stress Crack Growth in a Power-Law Hardening Material

Aim To determine numerically the field characteristics in the vied at the tip of a place crack growing steadily in a power-law hardening material. Meteods. Methods on the Euler mode and small-scale yield assumption, the numerical results were given by nonlinear finite element analysis. Results The numerical results of the shape of the active plastic sone, the angular distribution of stresseses and Clack tip opening displacement (CTOD) in the vicinity at the hp of the steadily groWing CraCk are determined. Conclusion The comparison between the numerical results given by the present wort and those given by analytic asymptotic analysis shows that the present work reached a very high accuracy.

Application and prospects of 3D printing in physical experiments of rock mass mechanics and engineering:materials,methodologies and models

The existence of joints or other kinds of discontinuities has a dramatic efect on the stability of rock excavations and engineering.As a result,a great challenge in rock mass mechanics testing is to prepare rock or rock-like samples with defects.In recent years,3D printing technology has become a promising tool in the feld of rock mass mechanics and engineering.This study frst reviews and discusses the research status of traditional test methods in rock mass mechanics tests of making rock samples with defects.Then,based on the comprehensive analysis of previous research,the application of 3D printing technology in rock mass mechanics is expounded from the following three aspects.The frst is the printing material.Although there are many materials for 3D printing,it has been found that 3D printing materials that can be used for rock mass mechanics research are very limited.After research,we summarize and evaluate printing material that can be used for rock mass mechanics studies.The second is the printing methodology,which mainly introduces the current application forms of 3D printing technology in rock mass mechanics.This includes printed precise casting molds and one-time printed samples.The last one is the printing model,which includes small-scale samples for mechanical tests and large-scale physical models.Then,the benefts and drawbacks of using 3D printing samples in mechanical tests and the validity of their simulation of real rock are discussed.Compared with traditional rock samples collected in nature or synthetic rock-like samples,the samples made by 3D printing technology have unique advantages,such as higher test repeatability,visualization of rock internal structure and stress distribution.There is thus great potential for the use of 3D printing in the feld of rock mass mechanics.However,3D printing materials also have shortcomings,such as insufcient material strength and accuracy at this stage.Finally,the application prospect of 3D printing technology in rock mass mechanics research is proposed.

Material Removal Characteristics of Single-Crystal 4H-SiC Based on Varied-Load Nanoscratch Tests

Single-crystal silicon carbide(SiC)has been widely applied in the military and civil fields because of its excellent physical and chemical properties.However,as is typical in hard-to-machine materials,the good mechanical properties result in surface defects and subsurface damage during precision or ultraprecision machining.In this study,single-and double-varied-load nanoscratch tests were systematically performed on single-crystal 4H-SiC using a nanoindenter system with a Berkovich indenter.The material removal characteristics and cracks under different planes,indenter directions,normal loading rates,and scratch intervals were analyzed using SEM,FIB,and a 3D profilometer,and the mechanisms of material removal and crack propagation were studied.The results showed that the Si-plane of the single-crystal 4H-SiC and edge forward indenter direction are most suitable for material removal and machining.The normal loading rate had little effect on the scratch depth,but a lower loading rate increased the ductile region and critical depth of transition.Additionally,the crack interaction and fluctuation of the depth-distance curves of the second scratch weakened with an increase in the scratch interval,the status of scratches and chips changed,and the comprehensive effects of the propagation and interaction of the three cracks resulted in material fractures and chip accumulation.The calculated and experimental values of the median crack depth also showed good consistency and relativity.Therefore,this study provides an important reference for the high-efficiency and precision machining of single-crystal SiC to ensure high accuracy and a long service life.

Exact Solutions for Piezoelectric Materials with an Elliptic Hole or a Crack under Uniform Internal Pressure

The existing investigations on piezoelectric materials containing an elliptic hole or a crack mainly focus on remote uniform tensile loads.In order to have a better understanding for the fracture behavior of piezoelectric materials under different loading conditions,theoretical and numerical solutions are presented for an elliptic hole or a crack in transversely isotropic piezoelectric materials subjected to uniform internal pressure and remote electro-mechanical loads.On the basis of the complex variable approach,analytical solutions of the elastic and electric fields inside and outside the defect are derived by satisfying permeable electric boundary condition at the surface of the elliptical hole.As an example of PZT-4 ceramics,numerical results of electro-elastic fields inside and outside the crack under various electric boundary conditions and electro-mechanical loads are given,and graphs of the electro-elastic fields in the vicinity of the crack tip are presented.The non-singular term is compared to the asymptotic one in the figures.It is shown that the dielectric constant of the air in the crack has no effect on the electric displacement component perpendicular to the crack,and the stresses in the piezoelectric material depend on the material properties and the mechanical loads on the crack surface and at infinity,but not on the electric loads at infinity.The figures obtained are strikingly similar to the available results.Unlike the existing work,the existence of electric fields inside an elliptic hole or a crack is considered,and the piezoelectric solid is subjected to complicated electro-mechanical loads.

The nonlocal solution of two parallel cracks in functionally graded materials subjected to harmonic anti-plane shear waves

In this paper, the dynamic interaction of two parallel cracks in functionally graded materials （FGMs） is investigated by means of the non-local theory. To make the analysis tractable, the shear modulus and the material density are assumed to vary exponentially with the coordinate vertical to the crack. To reduce mathematical difficulties, a one-dimensional non-local kernel is used instead of a twodimensional one for the dynamic problem to obtain stress fields near the crack tips. By use of the Fourier transform, the problem can be solved with the help of two pairs of dual integral equations, in which the unknown variables are the jumps of displacements across the crack surfaces. To solve the dual integral equations, the jumps of displacements across the crack surfaces are expanded in a series of Jacobi polynomials. Unlike the classical elasticity solutions, it is found that no stress singularity is present at the crack tips. The non-local elastic solutions yield a finite hoop stress at the crack tips. The present result provides theoretical references helpful for evaluating relevant strength and preventing material failure of FGMs with initial cracks. The magnitude of the finite stress field depends on relevant parameters, such as the crack length, the distance between two parallel cracks, the parameter describing the FGMs, the frequency of the incident waves and the lattice parameter of materials.

SCATTERING OF HARMONIC ANTI-PLANE SHEAR STRESS WAVES BY A CRACK IN FUNCTIONALLY GRADED PIEZOELECTRIC/PIEZOMAGNETIC MATERIALS

In this paper, the dynamic behavior of a permeable crack in functionally graded piezoelectric/piezomagnetic materials is investigated. To make the analysis tractable, it is assumed that the material properties vary exponentially with the coordinate parallel to the crack. By using the Fourier transform, the problem can be solved with the help of a pair of dual integral equations in which the unknown is the jump of displacements across the crack surfaces. These equations are solved to obtain the relations between the electric filed, the magnetic flux field and the dynamic stress field near the crack tips using the Schmidt method. Numerical examples are provided to show the effect of the functionally graded parameter and the circular frequency of the incident waves upon the stress, the electric displacement and the magnetic flux intensity factors of the crack.

Crack tip field in functionally gradient material with exponential variation of elastic constants in two directions

This paper presents an exact solution of the crack tip field in functionally gradient material with exponential variation of elastic constants. The dimensionless Poisson＇s ratios v0 of the engineering materials （iron, glass …… ） are far less than one; therefore, neglecting them, one can simplify the basic equation and the exact solution is easy to obtain. Although the exact solution for the case v0 ≠ 0 is also obtained, it is very complicated and the main result is the same with the case v0 = 0 （it will be dealt with in Appendix VII）. It has been found that the exponential term exp（ax ＋ by） in the constitutive equations becomes exp（ ax /2 ＋ by/2- kr /2 ） in the exact solution.

Application of New Heavy Metals Resistant Porous Binder Material Used in Fluid Catalytic Cracking Reaction

A novel porous binder was obtained from acid-treated kaolin. This new binder possessed abundant meso/macropores, good hydrothermal stability and heavy metal resistance. The prepared catalyst using new binder featured low attrition index and large pore volume. The catalysts were contaminated with Ni, V, and tested in a fixed-fluidized bed reactor unit. In comparison with the reference sample, the oil conversion achieved by the above-mentioned catalyst increased by 3.50 percentage points, and heavy oil yield decreased by 2.86 percentage points, while the total liquid yield and light oil yield increased by 2.82 percentage points and 0.79 percentage points, respectively. The perfect pore structure, good hydrothermal stability and heavy metal resistant performance of new binder were the possible causes leading to its outstanding performance.

FATIGUE DAMAGE CALCULATED BY RATIO-METHOD TO METALLIC MATERIALS WITH SMALL CRACK UNDER UNSYMMETRIC CYCLIC LOADING

Based on the standpoint to take for the crack size also to be a damage variable like the damage variable, by means of the two-directions coordinate system, several new calculation equations on the small crack growth rate are suggested for describing the elastic-plastic behavior of some metallic materials. And the estimation formulas of life are also suggested relative to varied small crack size at each loading history, which is unsymmetric cyclic loading. In the calculation method, as a loaded stress-strain parameter to adopt the ratio with plastic strain range to elastic strain range, and as the material constants using the typical material parameters in damage calculation expression, a new concept of the compositive material constant, which has functional relation with the typical material constants, average stress, average strain, critical loading time is given out. In addition, the fatigue damage of a part of car is put up to calculate as an example, its calculation results are accordant with the Landgraf＇s equation, and calculation precision is more rigorous, so could avoid unnecessary fatigue tests and will be of practical significance on saving times, manpower and capitals, as well as the convenience for engineering applications.

ANALYSIS OF THE DYNAMIC BEHAVIOR OF A GRIFFITH PERMEABLE CRACK IN PIEZOELECTRIC MATERIALS WITH THE NON-LOCAL THEORY

The dynamic behavior of a Griffith permeable crack under harmonic anti-plane shear waves in the piezoelectric materials is investigated by use of the non-local theory. To overcome the mathematical difficulties, a one-dimensional non-local kernel is used instead of a two-dimensional one for the anti-plane dynamic problem to obtain the stress and the electric displacement near the crack tips. By means of Fourier transform, the problem can be solved with a pair of dual integral equations that the unknown variable is the jump of the displacement across the crack surfaces. These equations are solved with the Schmidt method and numerical examples are provided. Contrary to the previous results, it is found that no stress and electric displacement singularities are present at the crack tip. The finite hoop stress and the electric displacement depend on the crack length, the lattice parameter of the materials and the circle frequency of the incident waves. This enables us to employ the maximum stress hypothesis to deal with fracture problems in a natural way.

Effect of Organophilic Montmorillonite on Thermal-oxidative Aging Behavior of SBS Modified Bitumen Crack Filling Material

Styrene-butadiene-styrene （SBS） modified bitumen crack filling material with organophilic montmorillonite （OCFM） was prepared by melt blending. X-ray diffraction analysis shows that the interlayer spacing of organophilic montmorillonite （OMMT） in OCFM is widened and an exfoliated structure may be formed. Thermal-oxidative aging behavior of OCFM and SBS modified bitumen crack filling material （SCFM） was investigated. The experimental results indicate that the rate of thermal-oxidative aging of OCFM is much slower than that of SCFM, which can be attributed to barrier of exfoliated structure of OCFM to oxygen.

Discussion on electromagnetic crack face boundary conditions for the fracture mechanics of magneto-electro-elastic materials

This paper discusses electromagnetic boundary conditions on crack faces in magneto- electroelastic materials, where piezoelectric, piezomagnetic and magnetoelectric effects are coupled. A notch of finite thickness in these materials is also addressed. Four idealized electromagnetic boundary conditions assumed for the crack-faces are separately investigated, i.e. （a） electrically and magnetically impermeable （crack-face）, （b） electrically impermeable and magnetically permeable, （c） electrically permeable and magnetically impermeable, and （d） electrically and magnetically permeable. The influence of the notch thickness on important parameters, such as the field intensity factors, the energy release rate at the notch tips and the electromagnetic fields inside the notch, are studied and the results are obtained in closed-form. Results under different idealized electromagnetic boundary conditions on the crack-face are compared, and the applicability of these idealized assumptions is discussed.

THE BEHAVIOR OF TWO PARALLEL SYMMETRIC PERMEABLE CRACKS IN PIEZOELECTRIC MATERIALS

The behavior of two parallel symmetric cracks in piezoelectric materials under anti-plane shear loading was studied by the Schmidt method for the permeable crack face conditions. By using the Fourier transform, the problem can be solved with two pairs of dual integral equations in which the unknown variable is the jump of the diplacement across the crack surfaces. These equations were solved using the Schmidt method. The results show that the stress and the electric displacement intensity factors of cracks depend on the geometry of the crack. Contrary to the impermeable crack surface condition solution, it is found that the electric displacement intensity factors for the permeable crack surface conditions are much smaller than the results for the impermeable crack surface conditions.

EXACT SOLUTION FOR ORTHOTROPIC MATERIALS WEAKENED BY DOUBLY PERIODIC CRACKS OF UNEQUAL SIZE UNDER ANTIPLANE SHEAR

Orthotropic materials weakened by a doubly periodic array of cracks under far-field antiplane shear are investigated, where the fundamental cell contains four cracks of unequal size. By applying the mapping technique, the elliptical function theory and the theory of analytical function boundary value problems, a closed form solution of the whole-field stress is obtained. The exact formulae for the stress intensity factor at the crack tip and the effective antiplane shear modulus of the cracked orthotropic material are derived. A comparison with the finite element method shows the efficiency and accuracy of the present method. Several illustrative examples are provided, and an interesting phenomenon is observed, that is, the stress intensity factor and the dimensionless effective modulus are independent of the material property for a doubly periodic cracked isotropic material, but depend strongly on the material property for the doubly periodic cracked orthotropic material. Such a phenomenon for antiplane problems is similar to that for in-plane problems. The present solution can provide benchmark results for other numerical and approximate methods.

CRACK INITIATION AND STEADY PROPAGATION OF ELASTIC-PLASTIC MATERIALS IN PLANE STRESS CONDITION

The crack tip stress-strain fields of the elastic-plastic cracked specimens have been analyzed using finite element calculations.The crack initiation and steady propagation behaviours have also been investigated by means of slip line pattern etching technique and mechanical tests. The results show that there are HRR near field and distant field in the crack tip region,and the later depends on the specimen configuration.The crack initiation behaviour is controlled by a single parameter J.In contrast,the steady crack propagation is affected by the distant strain field and can not be described by single parameter only.

THE PERIODIC CRACK PROBLEM IN BONDED PIEZOELECTRIC MATERIALS

The problem of a periodic array of parallel cracks in a homogeneous piezoelectric strip bonded to a functionally graded piezoelectric material is investigated for inhomogeneous continuum. It is assumed that the material inhomogeneity is represented as the spatial variation of the shear modulus in the form of an exponential function along the direction of cracks. The mixed boundary value problem is reduced to a singular integral equation by applying the Fourier transform, and the singular integral equation is solved numerically by using the Gauss-Chebyshev integration technique. Numerical results are obtained to illustrate the variations of the stress intensity factors as a function of the crack periodicity for different values of the material inhomogeneity.