Variation of out-of-plane constraint and its effects on fracture

The limitations of using one-parameter to describe the crack-tip fields have prompted investigators to consider better descriptions of the crack tip fields. The two-parameter descriptions, such as J-Q theory, have been an important development in this field. But under the consideration of plane strain and three-dimensional problem, the effects of the out-of-plane stress can not be neglected. Effects of the in-plane constraint as well as the out-of-plane constraint are studied by aid of the finite element method on the plane strain condition. It is obvious that both the in-plane constraint (Q factor) and the out-of-plane constraint (T_z = σ_z/(σ_zz+σ_yy)) affect the crack tip fields. Several important features of the out-of-plane constraint are described out based on the simulation results. A three-parameter formulation is proposed, in which both the in-plane constraint and the out-of-plane constraint are considered. Comparing with the results of the FEM numerical simulation, the three-parameter description can provide a better prediction near the crack tip.