MEC-E8007 Fracture Mechanics Luc St-Pierre
Solution 1
A? Problem 1.1
A thick plate of aluminium alloy, 200 mm wide, contains an edge crack of 60 mm in length. The plate
is loaded by a tensile stress perpendicular to the crack plane. The plate fractures in a brittle way at an
applied stress of 40 MPa.
(a) Determine the fracture toughness KIc of the material.
(b) What would be the fracture stress if the plate was wide enough to assume an infinite width?
A! Solution
Part (a). The plate fractured at σ∞ = 40 MPa; therefore at that moment, we have KI = KIc . For this
configuration, we can find in the datasheet that the stress intensity factor KI is given by:
KIc = KI
√
a 4
a a 2 a 3
= σ∞ πa 1.12 − 0.23 + 10.6 − 21.7 + 30.4
W W W W
√
= 40 MPa · π0.060 m · [1.6653]
√
= 28.9 MPa m
√
The fracture toughness of this aluminium alloy is KIc = 28.9 MPa m.
Part (b). If the plate was infinitely large then the stress intensity factor would be given by KI =
√
1.12σ∞ πa. Fracture would occur when:
√
KIc = KI = 1.12σ∞ πa
KIc 28.9
=⇒ σ∞ = √ = √ = 59.5 MPa
1.12 πa 1.12 π0.060
If the plate was infinitely large it would fracture at σ∞ = 59.5 MPa.
A? Solution 1 Page 1/4
MEC-E8007 Fracture Mechanics Luc St-Pierre
Solution 1
A? Problem 1.2
Find the stress intensity factor KI for an edge crack loaded by a pressure p over a portion b as shown
below. Hint: you will have to integrate the solution for a point force.
𝑝𝑝
𝑏𝑏 𝑥𝑥0
A! Solution
The stress intensity factor for a point force on an edge crack is (see datasheet):
2P
KI = √
2πx0
where P is a force per unit depth and x0 is the distance between the force and the crack tip. Therefore,
the solution for a pressure p, over a portion b, can be obtained by integrating:
Z x0 +b
2pdx
KI = √
x0 2πx
Z x0 +b
2p dx
=√ √
2π x0 x
2p √ x0 +b
=√ 2 x x0
2π
4p p √
=√ x0 + b − x0
2π
A? Solution 1 Page 2/4
MEC-E8007 Fracture Mechanics Luc St-Pierre
Solution 1
A? Problem 1.3
A thin polymer plate is fabricated by casting. The process creates a central crack of length 2a =
50 mm. The plate is then tested by applying a tensile stress σ∞ in the direction normal to the crack
plane.
(a) If the plate failed at a stress σ∞ = 5 MPa, evaluate the fracture toughness KIc of the material.
(b) Another plate is produced from the same material, but this time copper wires are introduced to
act as reinforcements. These wires have a 20 mm spacing, and one of them crosses the central
crack exactly through the middle. These wires can be assumed to create local forces closing the
crack as shown in the figure below (where P1 = 50 kN/m and P2 = 30 kN/m). Determine the
value of σ∞ that will trigger fracture.
20 mm 20 mm
𝑃𝑃2 𝑃𝑃1 𝑃𝑃2
𝑃𝑃2 𝑃𝑃1 𝑃𝑃2
A! Solution
Part (a). The plate failed when the stress intensity factor KI reached the fracture toughness KIc .
Therefore, we have:
√ √ √
KIc = KI = σ∞ πa = 5 MPa · π0.025 m = 1.4012 MPa m
A? Solution 1 Page 3/4
MEC-E8007 Fracture Mechanics Luc St-Pierre
Solution 1
Part (b). The stress intensity factor KI can be obtained using the principle of superposition:
where KIB will be negative because the forces are closing the crack. Using the datasheet, KIB is given
by:
r r
B −P1 −P2 a + x0 −P2 a − x0
KI = √ + √ · +√ ·
πa πa a − x0 πa a + x0
r r
−50000 −30000 25 + 20 −30000 25 − 20
=√ +√ · +√ ·
π0.025 π0.025 25 − 20 π0.025 25 + 20
= −0.1784 − 0.3211 − 0.0357
√
= −0.5352 MPa m
Note that the second and third terms in KIB are not equal: the second represents the contribution of P2
close to the crack tip, whereas the third is the contribution of the furthest P2 . The plate will fracture
when KI = KIc which gives:
KI = KIA + KIB = KIc
√
=⇒ σ∞ πa + KIB = KIc
KIc − KIB 1.4012 + 0.5352
=⇒ σ∞ = √ = √ = 6.9 MPa
πa π · 0.025
Adding the wires will increase the fracture stress to 6.9 MPa.
A? Solution 1 Page 4/4
