Skip to main content
Log in

Analysis of Asymmetric Kinked Cracks of Arbitrary Size, Location and Orientation – Part I. Remote Compression

  • Published:
International Journal of Fracture Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In this paper, the stress intensity factors of interacting kinked cracks in an elastic solid under remote compression and the overall strains of the solid are determined numerically. The kinked cracks are in general asymmetric, unequal, and arbitrarily oriented and located. Each kinked crack consists of a closed frictional main crack, and traction free kinks modeled by continuous dislocation distributions. The original problem is decomposed into straight crack problems such that the main cracks are subjected to dislocation and shear traction loadings. The model is used to investigate the dependence of the stress intensity factors and the overall strains on the crack configuration, i.e., a single fault of cracks, parallel faults, crossed faults, periodic and random crack arrays, and on the geometrical and physical parameters such as the fault angle and the lateral confinement.

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

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ashby, M.F. and Hallam, S.D. (1986). The failure of brittle solids containing small cracks under compressive stress states. Acta Metallurgica 34, 497-510.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ashby, M.F. and Sammis, C.G. (1990). The damage mechanics of brittle solids in compression. Pure and Applied Geophysics 133, 489-521.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Benveniste, Y., Dvorak, G.J., Zarzour, J. and Wung, E.C.J. (1988). On interacting cracks and complex crack configurations in linear elastic media. International Journal of Solids and Structures 25, 1279-1293.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brace, W.F. and Bombalakis, E.G. (1963). A note on brittle crack growth in compression. Journal of Geophysical Research 68, 3709-3713.

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Chen, W. and Ravichandran, R. (1996). Static and dynamic compressive behavior of aluminum nitride under moderate confinement. Journal of the American Ceramic Society 79, 579-584.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cole, D.M. (1989). Microfracture and the compressive failure of polycrystalline ice. Proceedings of the IUTAM/IAHR Symposium on Ice-Structure Interaction, 23p.

  • Deng, H. and Nemat-Nasser, S. (1994). Microcrack interaction and shear fault failure. International Journal of Damage Mechanics 3, 3-37.

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Erdogan, F. (1962). On the stress distribution in plates with collinear straight cuts under arbitrary loads. Proceedings of the Fourth U.S. National Congress of Applied Mechanics 1, 547-554.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fairhurst, C. and Cook, N.G.W. (1966). The phenomenon of rock splitting parallel to the direction of maximum compression in the neighborhood of a surface. Proceedings of the First Congress of the International Society of Rock Mechanics 1, 687-692.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fanella, D.A. (1990). Fracture and failure of concrete in uniaxial and biaxial loading. Journal of Engineering Mechanics 116, 2341-2362.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gerasoulis, A. (1982). The use of quadratic polynomials for the solution of singular integral equations of Cauchy type. Computers & Mathematics with Applications 8, 15-22.

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  • Horii, H. and Nemat-Nasser, S. (1986). Brittle failure in compression: splitting, faulting and brittle-ductile transition. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London A319, 337-374.

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Isida, M. and Nemat-Nasser, S. (1987). A unified analysis of various problems relating to circular holes with edge cracks. Engineering Fracture Mechanics 27, 571-591.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kachanov, M.L. (1982). A microcrack model of rock inelasticity, Part II: Propagation of microcracks. Mechanics of Materials 1, 29-41.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lehner, F. and Kachanov, M. (1996). On modeling of ‘winged’ cracks forming under compression. International Journal of Fracture 77, R69-R75.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lo, K.K. (1978). Analysis of branched cracks. Journal of Applied Mechanics 45, 797-802.

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  • McClintock, F.A. and Walsh, J.B. (1962). Friction on Griffith cracks in rocks under pressure. Proceedings of the Fourth U.S. National Congress of Applied Mechanics 2, 1015-1021.

    Google Scholar 

  • Muskhelishvili, N.I. (1977). Some Basic Problems of the Mathematical Theory of Elasticity, Noordhoff, Leyden, 732p.

  • Nemat-Nasser, S. and Obata, M. (1988). A microcrack model of dilatancy in brittle materials. Journal of Applied Mechanics 55, 24-35.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Niu, J. (1997). Interactions of Morphologically Complex Cracks under Tension and Compression, Ph.D. thesis, 241p.

  • Niu, J. and Wu, M.S. (1997). Strong interactions of morphologically complex cracks. Engineering Fracture Mechanics 57, 665-687.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ravichandran, G. and Subhash, G. (1995). A micromechanical model for high strain rate behavior of ceramics. International Journal of Solids and Structures 32, 2627-2646.

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Schulson, E.M. (1990). The brittle compressive fracture of ice. Acta Metallurgica et Materialia 38, 1963-1976.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Steif, P.S. (1984). Crack extension under compressive loading. Engineering Fracture Mechanics 20, 463-473.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu, M.S. (1993). Effective moduli of finite anisotropic media with cracks. Mechanics of Materials 12, 139-158.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu, M.S. (1994). Material anisotropy effects on stress intensity factors and the effective elastic compliance. Engineering Fracture Mechanics 48, 177-198.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Wu, M.S. and Niu, J. (1995a). Micromechanical prediction of the compressive failure of ice: Model development. Mechanics of Materials 20, 9-32.

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Wu, M.S. and Niu, J. (1995b). Micromechanical prediction of the compressive failure of ice: Numerical simulations. Mechanics of Materials 20, 33-58.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Niu, J., Wu, M.S. Analysis of Asymmetric Kinked Cracks of Arbitrary Size, Location and Orientation – Part I. Remote Compression. International Journal of Fracture 89, 19–57 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007428827074

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007428827074

Navigation