60 Elements of Fracture Mechanics

which have their edge/ edges close to the crack, the job of guessing a Westergaard function, which
not only satisfies conditions at cracked faces but also meets the requirements at the edges, becomes
a difficult task. Problems dealing with bodies of finite dimensions will be taken up in Chapter 4.

QUESTIONS

1. What is a singularity? What kind of singularity describes a stress field near the vicinity of
a crack tip in LEFM? Is it expected to be different for elastic-plastic fracture mechanics?
2. Stress field is the same for plane stress and plane strain problems. Why is it not so for
displacement fields?
3. In problems of plates, stress components are expressed in the Cartesian coordinate
system whereas the location at which stress is considered is defined in polar coordinates.
Why is such a mixed approach adopted?
4. For many problems of practical applications, solutions of infinite plates are applicable.
Justify the statement.
5. Displacement near the crack tip is determined by integrating strain components. Why
do we equate integration constants to zero?
6. Mode I case has been solved for a biaxial case and its stress and displacement fields are
taken to be approximately the same as of an uniaxial case. Justify.
7. Why do we not use biharmonic equation to solve Mode III problems for a centre crack in
an infinite plate?

PROBLEMS

1. Show that <I>= - x2 Re Zn, chosen for the Mode II problem, satisfies the biharmonic equation.
Determine stress components and displacement components (plane stress) in terms of Zn.
2. For a centre crack in an infinite plate loaded in Mode II, determine stress components and
displacement components (plane stress) near the vicinity of a crack tip in terms of Ku.

3. Show that w = _!_ Im Zm , chosen for the Mode III problem for a centre-cracked infinite
µ
plate, satisfies the Laplace equation V2w = 0. Determine stress components and all
displacement components in terms of Zm. Also, determine stress and displacement fields
in the vicinity of the crack tip in terms of Km.
4. In a large plate, a crack of length 2a is inclined with an angle a with xi-axis (Fig. 3.10). The
plate is loaded in x2 direction with a 22 = a.
(i) Find the stress intensity factors.
(ii) For a= 80 MPa, 2a = 20 mm and a= 30°, determine K1 and Ku.
5. Determine stress at point Hof Problem 4, if r = l mm and €J = 45°.
6. Determine the critical crack length in a centered-cracked plate, loaded in Mode I, if critical
stress intensity factor K1c = 60 MPa Jm and far field stress is 120 MPa.
7. Determine stress components (am a 88 , a,8 ) and displacement components (u,, u 8 ) in polar
coordinates for plane stress of Mode I.
 Stress Intensity Factor 61

cr

1111111
Xz

V
j j j j j j j
cr
Fig. 3.10 The figure of Problem 4

REFERENCES

3.1 Irwin, G.R. (1958). Fracture, Handbuch der Physik, S. Flugge (ed.), Springer-Verlag, Berlin,
Vol. VI, pp. 551-590.
3.2 Kanninen, M.F. and Popelar, C.H. (1985). Advanced Fracture Mechanics, Oxford University
Press, New York.
3.3 Sokolnikoff, LS. (1956). Mathematical Theory of Elasticity, McGraw-Hill Book Company,
New York.
3.4 Fung, Y.C. (1965). Foundation of Solid Mechanics, Prentice-Hall Inc., Englewood, New Jersey.
3.5 Westergaard, H.M. (1939). "Bearing Pressures and Cracks," Journal of Applied Mechanics,
61, pp. A49-53.
3.6 Carrier, G.F., Krook, M. and Pearson, C.E. (1966). Functions of a Complex Variable,
McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York. ·
3.7 Gdoutos, E.E. (2005). Fracture Mechanics-An Introduction, Springer, The Netherland.
3.8 Anderson, T.L. (2004). Fracture Mechanics: Fundamentals and Applications, CRC, Press-Book.
3.9 Sanford, R.J. (2003). Principles of Fracture Mechanics, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River.
3.10 Janssen, M., Zuidema, J. & Wanhill, R.J.H. (2004). Fracture Mechanics, Spon Press, Abingdon.
3.11 Ramesh, K. (2007). e-Book on Engineering Fracture Mechanics, IIT Madras,
URL: http// apm.iitm.ac.in/ smlab /kramesh/book_4.htm.