SpringerLink
Log in

Fracture Mechanics Testing

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Mechanical Testing of Materials

Part of the book series: Solid Mechanics and Its Applications ((SMIA,volume 275))

  • 356 Accesses

Abstract

Fracture mechanics constitutes a powerful method for the determination of the load-carrying capacity of structures and machine components in the presence of cracks. This approach is in contrast to traditional failure criteria (maximum stress/strain, Tresca, von Mises, Coulomb–Mohr, etc.) which ignore the presence of defects. Since structures and machine components cannot be constructed without defects, on the grounds of practicality, fracture mechanics is used to determine either the safe operating load for a prescribed crack size or the safe crack size for a prescribed operating load. Design by fracture mechanics necessitates a parameter known as fracture toughness which characterizes the resistance of a material to crack extension. Fracture toughness is a material property and it should be size independent. It expresses the ability of a material to resist fracture in the presence of cracks. Fracture toughness is analogous to the yield or ultimate stress used in design by the conventional failure criteria. In this chapter we consider the following fracture mechanics failure criteria: the stress intensity factor criterion, the J-integral criterion, the crack opening displacement criterion and the strain energy density criterion, and present the experimental procedure for the determination of fracture toughness for each criterion. Furthermore, we discuss the stress intensity factor failure criterion for dynamic fracture.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
EUR 32.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or Ebook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free ship** worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Further Readings

  1. Anderson TL (2017) Fracture mechanics: fundamentals and applications, 4th edn. CRC Press

    Book  Google Scholar 

  2. ASTM STP 514-81. Standard specification for high-yield-strength, quenched and tempered alloy steel plate, suitable for welding

    Google Scholar 

  3. Begley JA, Landes JD (1972) The J-integral as a fracture criterion. In: Fracture toughness, ASTM STP 514, American Society for Testing and Materials, Philadelphia, pp 1–39

    Google Scholar 

  4. Broek D (1982) Elementary engineering fracture mechanics. Kluwer Academic Publishers

    Book  Google Scholar 

  5. Broek D (1988) The practical use of fracture mechanics. Kluwer Academic Publishers

    Google Scholar 

  6. BS 5762 (1979) Methods for crack opening displacement (COD) testing. British Standards Institution, London

    Google Scholar 

  7. Bucci RJ, Paris PC, Landes JD, Rice JR (1972) J-integral estimation procedures. In: Fracture toughness, ASTM STP 514. American Society for Testing and Materials, Philadelphia, pp 40–69

    Google Scholar 

  8. Burdekin FM, Stone DEW (1966) The crack opening displacement approach to fracture mechanics in yielding materials. J Strain Anal 1:145–153

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Carpinteri A (2021) Fracture and complexity. Springer

    Book  Google Scholar 

  10. Campbell J (2022) Fracture mechanics: fundamentals and applications. Murphy & Moore Publishing

    Google Scholar 

  11. Coates C, Sooklal V (2022) Modern applied fracture mechanics. CRC Press

    Book  Google Scholar 

  12. Cottrell AH (1961) Theoretical aspects of radiation damage and brittle fracture in steel pressure vessels. Iron Steel Inst Spec Rep 69:281–296

    Google Scholar 

  13. Dawes MG (1974) Fracture control in high yield strength weldments. Weld J Res Suppl 53:369S–379S

    Google Scholar 

  14. Dawes MG (1980) The COD design curve. In: Larsson LH (ed) Advances in elastic-plastic fracture mechanics. Applied Science Publishers, pp 279–300

    Google Scholar 

  15. Dharan CKH, Kang BS, Finnie I (2016) Finnie’s notes on fracture mechanics: fundamental and practical lessons. Springer

    Google Scholar 

  16. Gdoutos EE (1984) Problems of mixed mode crack propagation. Martinus Nijhoff Publishers

    Google Scholar 

  17. Gdoutos EE (1990) Fracture mechanics criteria and applications. Kluwer Academic Publishers

    Book  Google Scholar 

  18. Gdoutos EE, Pilakoutas K, Rodopoulos CA (eds) (2000) Failure analysis of industrial composite materials. McGraw Hill

    Google Scholar 

  19. Gdoutos EE (2020) Fracture mechanics, 3rd edn. Springer

    Book  Google Scholar 

  20. Gdoutos EE (2022) Experimental mechanics. Springer

    Google Scholar 

  21. Gross D, Seelig T (2017) Fracture mechanics: with introduction to micro mechanics, 2nd edn. Springer

    Google Scholar 

  22. Hertzberg RW, Vinci RP, Hertzberg JL (2020) Deformation and fracture mechanics of engineering materials, 6th edn. Wiley

    Google Scholar 

  23. Hutchinson JW (1983) Fundamentals of the phenomenological theory of nonlinear fracture mechanics. J Appl Mech Trans ASME 50:1042–1051

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Hutchinson JW, Paris PC (1979) Stability analysis of J-controlled crack growth. In: Elastic-plastic fracture, ASTM STP 668. American Society for Testing and Materials, Philadelphia, pp 37–64

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  25. Irwin GR (1948) Fracture dynamics. Fracture of metals. American Society for Metals, Cleveland, USA, pp 147–166

    Google Scholar 

  26. Janssen M, Zuidema J, Wanhill R (2002) Fracture mechanics, 2nd edn. Spon Press

    Google Scholar 

  27. Krafft JM, Sullivan AM, Boyle RW (1961) Effect of dimensions on fast fracture instability of notched sheets. In: Proceedings of crack propagation symposium, vol 1. College of Aeronautics, Cranfield (England), pp 8–28

    Google Scholar 

  28. Kumar R (2009) Elements of fracture mechanics. Tata McGraw Hill Education Private Limited

    Google Scholar 

  29. Kuna M (2013) Finite elements in fracture mechanics. Springer

    Google Scholar 

  30. Liebowitz H (1969–1972) Fracture mechanics—an advanced treatise, vols 1–7. Academic Press

    Google Scholar 

  31. Maiti SK (2015) Fracture mechanics: fundamentals and applications. Cambridge University Press

    Google Scholar 

  32. McMeeking RM (1977) Finite deformation analysis of crack opening in elastic-plastic materials and implications for fracture. J Mech Phys Solids 25:357–381

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  33. McMeeking RM, Parks DM (1979) On criteria for J-dominance of crack tip fields in large scale yielding. In: Elastic-plastic fracture, ASTM STP 668. American Society for Testing and Materials, Philadelphia, pp 175–194

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  34. Merkle JG, Corten HT (1974) A J-integral analysis for the compact specimen, considering axial force as well as bending effects. J Press Vessel Technol 96:286–292

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Orowan E (1948) Fracture and strength of solids. In: Reports on progress in physics XII, pp 185–232

    Google Scholar 

  36. Paris PC, Tada H, Zahoor A, Ernst H (1979) The theory of instability of the tearing mode of elastic-plastic crack growth. In: Elastic-plastic fracture, ASTM STP 668. American Society for Testing and Materials, Philadelphia, pp 5–36, 251–265

    Google Scholar 

  37. Perez N (2016) Fracture mechanics, 2nd edn. Springer

    Google Scholar 

  38. Popelar CH, Kanninen MF (1985) Advanced fracture mechanics. Oxford University Press

    Google Scholar 

  39. Rice JR (1968) A path independent integral and the approximate analysis of strain concentration by notches and cracks. J Appl Mech Trans ASME 35:379–386

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. Rice JR, Paris PC, Merkle JG (1973) Some further results of J-integral analysis and estimates. In: Progress in flaw growth and fracture toughness testing, ASTM STP 536. American Society for Testing and Materials, Philadelphia, pp 213–245

    Google Scholar 

  41. Ritchie RO, Liu D (2021) Introduction to fracture mechanics. Elsevier

    Google Scholar 

  42. Saxena A (2019) Advanced fracture mechanics and structural integrity. CRC Press

    Book  Google Scholar 

  43. Shukla A (2004) Practical fracture mechanics in design. CRC Press

    Book  Google Scholar 

  44. Standard Practice for R-Curve-Determination (1981) ASTM annual book of standards, Part I0, E561-81. American Society for Testing and Materials, Philadelphia, pp 680–699

    Google Scholar 

  45. Shih CF, German MD (1981) Requirements for a one parameter characterization of crack tip fields by the HRR singularity. Int J Fract 17:27–43

    Article  Google Scholar 

  46. Sih GC (1977–1981) Mechanics of fracture, vols 1–7. Martinus Nijhoff Publishers

    Google Scholar 

  47. Standard test method for JIc, a measure of fracture toughness (1987) In: ASTM annual book of standards, Part 10, E813-87. American Society for Testing and Materials, Philadelphia, pp 968–990

    Google Scholar 

  48. Sun C-T, ** Z (2011) Fracture mechanics. Academic Press

    Google Scholar 

  49. Unger D (2011) Analytical fracture mechanics. Dover Publications

    Google Scholar 

  50. Wei RP (2014) Fracture mechanics: integration of mechanics, materials science and chemistry. Cambridge University Press

    Google Scholar 

  51. Wells AA (1961) Unstable crack propagation in metals: cleavage and fracture. In: Proceedings of the crack propagation symposium, vol 1. College of Aeronautics, Cranfield, pp 210–230

    Google Scholar 

  52. Zehnder AT (2012) Fracture mechanics. Springer

    Book  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Academy of Athens, Athens, Greece

    Emmanuel Gdoutos

  2. University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, USA

    Maria Konsta-Gdoutos

Authors
  1. Emmanuel Gdoutos
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Maria Konsta-Gdoutos
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Emmanuel Gdoutos .

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2024 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Gdoutos, E., Konsta-Gdoutos, M. (2024). Fracture Mechanics Testing. In: Mechanical Testing of Materials. Solid Mechanics and Its Applications, vol 275. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-45990-0_4

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-45990-0_4

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-45989-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-45990-0

  • eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation