Griffiththeoryofbrittle

fracture:
Observedfracturestrengthisalwayslowerthantheoreticalcohesivestrength.
Griffithexplainedthatthediscrepancyisduetotheinherentdefectsinbrittle
materialsleadingtostressconcentrationimplieslowerthefracturestrengthof
thematerials.
Crackpropagationcriterion:
Considerathroughthicknesscrackoflength2a,
subjectedtoauniformtensilestress,atinfinity.

Crackpropagationoccurswhenthereleasedelastic
strainenergyisatleastequaltotheenergyrequiredto
generatenewcracksurface.

Thestressrequiredtocreatethenewcracksurfaceisgivenasfollows:

Inplanestraincondition,theequationbecomes:

ModifiedGriffithequation
TheGriffithequationisstronglydependentonthecracksizea,and
satisfiesonlyideallybrittlematerialslikeglass.
However,metalsarenotideallybrittleandnormallyfailwithcertain
amountsofplasticdeformation,thefracturestressisincreaseddueto
bluntingofthecracktip.
IrwinandOrowansuggestedGriffithsequationcanbeappliedtobrittle
materialsundergoneplasticdeformationbeforefracturebyincludingthe
plasticwork,p,intothetotalelasticsurfaceenergyrequiredtoextend
thecrackwall,givingthemodifiedGriffithsequationasfollows:

Stressintensityfactor

InmodeIfailureandplanestraincondition,therelationship
betweenGICanKICcanbeshownbyanexpressionasfollows:

WhereKIC isthecriticalstressintensityfactor
ilure

Crack deformation
mode.
Fracture modes

` StressintensityfactorKICcanbedescribedasfracturetoughness
ofmaterials(materialresistancetocrackpropagation)underconditionsof:
1)brittlefracture
2)inthepresenceofasharpcrack
3)undercriticaltensileloading

Where
` KIC isthecriticalstressintensityfactorforplanestrainconditionin
modefailure.
` ac isthecriticalcracklengthinaninfiniteplate
` app istheappliedstress
` isaparameterdependentonspecimenandcrackgeometry

Kvaluesofvariouscrackgeometries:

Determinationoffracture
toughness

FracturetoughnessofmaterialcanbedeterminedaccordingtoLEFM
analysis
1)KICfracturetoughness:
workswellforveryhighstrengthmaterials.
exhibitingbrittlefracture
2) CracktipopeningdisplacementCTOD:
Usedforlowerstrengthmaterials(o<1400MPa),exhibitingsmall
amountofplasticdeformationbeforefailure.
3)Jintegral(JIC):
Usedforlowerstrengthmaterials,exhibitingsmallamountofplastic
deformationbeforefailure.
4) Rcurve:
Theresistancetofractureofamaterialduringslowandstablecrack
propagation

KICfracturetoughness
` KIC fracturetoughnessofmaterialisobtainedbydeterminingtheabilityof
materialtowithstandtheloadinthepresenceofasharpcrackbefore
failure.
` Fracturetoughnessisrequiredinthesystemofhighstrengthandlight
weight,i.e.,highstrengthsteels,titaniumandaluminiumalloys.

Fracture toughness How long

the existing crack will grow
until the specimen fails

Flaw geometry and

design of cylindrical
pressure vessel

Ductiletobrittletransition
behaviour

BCCstructuremetalsexperienceductiletobrittletransitionbehaviour
whensubjectedtodecreasingtemperature,resultingfromastrongyield
stressdependentontemperature.

BCCmetalspossesslimitedslipsystemsavailableatlowtemperature,
minimisingtheplasticdeformationduringthefractureprocess.
Increasingtemperatureallowsmoreslipsystemstooperate,yielding
generalplasticdeformationtooccurpriortofailure.

Theoryoftheductiletobrittletransition:

Thecriterionforamaterialtochangeitsfracturebehaviourfromductile
tobrittlemodeiswhentheyieldstressattheobservedtemperatureis
largerthanthestressnecessaryforthegrowthofthemicrocrackindicated
intheGriffiththeory.

Cottrellstudiedtheroleofparameters,whichinfluencetheductileto
brittletransitionasfollows;

iisthelatticeresistancetodislocationmovement
kisaparameterrelatedtothereleaseofdislocationintoapileup
Disthegraindiameter(associatedwithsliplength).
Gistheshearmodulus
isaconstantdependingonthestresssystem.