Engineering Fracture Mechanics最新文献

Mechanical properties of bone tissue are highly dependent on its hierarchical structure. The presence of microcracks and diffuse damage in lamellar bone is correlated with the failure of the collagen-mineral interface in mineralized collagen fibrils (MCF). The main goal of this work is to evaluate the mechanical behavior of the interfaces and quantify the stiffness loss of the MCF associated with different failure mechanisms, under controlled in-plane displacement. Additionally, we aim to study the role of the cross-links on the fibril mechanical response, beyond the interface failure. Inter- and intra-microfibrilar cross-links are analyzed. In order to address the first issue, a detailed representative volume of the MCF is analyzed by means of the finite element method, under the assumption of plane strain and periodic boundary conditions. In this model the interfaces between constituents are modeled with an exponential cohesive law. Enzymatic cross-links, located at the molecular terminals connecting each 4D ($D=67\text{nm}$) staggered molecules, are represented by non-linear springs. Three in-plane controlled deformations are applied. The results of this work provide the anisotropic stiffness loss of the tissue involved in the different failure mechanisms at the nano-scale length. The initiation of microcracks and the presence of damage zones are compatible with the failure mechanisms observed at interfaces. Interface failure entails a progressive stiffness loss, bringing a non-linear behavior of bone. The strength obtained for the longitudinal maximum deformation is more than 20 times the transverse strength and 3.5 times the shear strength. The quantification of the reduction percentage in the elastic moduli and the shear stiffness when the fibril is damaged, has a potential application in improving failure criteria based on degradation of elastic constants. When longitudinal elongation is applied, the mechanical contribution of the cross-links in delaying the failure initiation of the interface is shown. Likewise, results of this work confirm the scarce influence of the cross-links in the strain range analyzed. Additionally, a three-dimensional numerical model of several microfibrils is defined with the aim of analyzing the mechanical relevance of inter- and intra-microfibrilar cross-links, beyond the interface failure. Results confirm that cross-links transfer the load when strain increases, being highlighted the mechanical competence of the trivalent cross-links.

The fracture of solid propellant is predominantly attributed to the existence of mixed mode cracks, so it is essential to investigate the the fracture behavior of solid propellant with mixed mode I/II crack. This paper presents fracture characteristics of nitrate ester plasticized polyether (NEPE) propellant under different crack inclination angles (β = 30°–90°). Based on the combination of a drawing machine and a high-speed camera, the mechanical response, crack propagation velocity and crack-path morphology were investigated. The critical equivalent stress intensity factor K_eqc was calculated to assess the fracture toughness of the NEPE propellant, and a potential simplified criterion related to the stress intensity factor was proposed. The experimental results demonstrated that the NEPE propellant with mixed mode I/II crack exhibited blunting fracture phenomena during crack propagation, resulting in fluctuating crack propagation velocity. As the crack inclination angle decreases, the fracture toughness of the NEPE propellant increases and then decreases, and the value of K_eqc reaches its maximum at β = 45°. Furthermore, numerical studies based on bond-based peridynamic (BBPD) were performed by modeling the crack propagation process of the NEPE propellant, including the crack phase field diagram and the load–displacement curve of the NEPE propellant. The simulation results were then compared with the experiments.

The paper addresses the advanced fracture analysis of the SEN-TPB test on Norway Spruce in three anatomical directions: tangential (T), radial (R) and tangential–radial (TR). It utilizes reverse engineering to obtain cohesive zone model (CZM) parameters, which are then compared to the experimental values obtained using the compliance-based beam method (CBBM) and additional standard material tensile tests perpendicular to the grain. The optimization employs force–displacement curves to find their optimal fit using the multistart simplex optimization method. Results indicate that CZM modeling can be relatively problematic when realistic values are used; however, the best agreement with experimental data is observed for the group of cracks in the TR direction. A fundamental issue with CZM modeling in the elastic part has been identified and discussed. The sensitivity of the problem to various parameters was assessed, and an energy balance in the CZM at $F_{max}$ was performed. This work contributes to knowledge about realistic modeling of the interface and a fundamental understanding of fracture in wood.

This research has developed a real-time end-to-end deep learning model for structural health monitoring (SHM) method for composite impact damage diagnosis based on Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM). The acoustic emission (AE) signals collected under low-velocity impacts by means of piezoelectric sensors on composite materials are used for training deep learning networks. Based on the impact load curves, specimens are categorized into minor failure, intermediate failure, and severe failure. The convolved signals are segmented and reconstructed at a given length for the following LSTM module. The average accuracies for basic CNN, CNN– Recurrent Neural Network (RNN), CNN-LSTM, and CNN– Gated Recurrent Unit (GRU) are respectively 88.7 %, 92.6 %, 98 %, and 95.4 %. A sensitivity analysis on sub-signal length was conducted on the CNN-LSTM model, revealing that the model achieved its best performance when the sub-signal length was set at 16. The model attained prediction accuracies of 97.4 %, 100 %, and 100 %, respectively, for minor failure, intermediate failure, and severe failure cases.

Metals contain different kinds of spatial defects significantly reducing the fatigue performance. Accurate defect-based life prediction methods are required to improve structural integrity analysis and life design reliability. The present work developed a method to determine the equivalent crack length for defects based on continuum damage mechanics. The spatial effects of defects in the calculation of the equivalent crack were quantified and verified by fatigue tests. It is confirmed that the equivalent crack length of both slit and elliptic defects is affected not only by the defect geometry but also by the applied load. Based on the equivalent crack and combined with Paris’ law, the predicted fatigue lives of various slit holes under different loading orientations are within the double scatter band and are much more accurate than the conventional projection method.

Multiaxial creep life prediction of components has been challenging. To cope with the challenge, efforts have been made to develop suitable multiaxial stress rupture criteria (MSRC) based on representative stress concept. Of all MSRCs, the ones due to Sdobyrev and Hayhurst-Leckie (denoted as SHL MSRC), and to Cane (denoted as Cane MSRC) are commonly-used. In this work, the equivalent conversion between the SHL MSRC and the Cane MSRC is investigated based on skeletal point stresses. Equivalent conversion formulae are proposed based on the skeletal point stresses of circumferentially-notched tension (CNT) specimen, and then validated by comparison with the experimental data available in the literature. The equivalent conversion formula between the two MSRCs is found to be dependent on the signs of principal stresses. Therefore, different conversion formulae should be chosen depending on the signs of principal stresses. Afterwards, the applicability of different equivalent conversion formulae is demonstrated for the CNT specimen when skeletal point stresses are available, and for creep crack growth specimen when skeletal point stresses are not available. Finally, the equivalence of the two MSRCs is discussed.

Residual stresses are important factors affecting the performance and lifespan of components, among which the influence of micro-residual stress on crack propagation and fatigue property is no less than that of macro-residual stress, so it cannot be underestimated in materials design, forming and processing, life prediction as well as failure analysis. However, the accurate characterization of micro-residual stress is still facing many challenges, and the interaction between micro-residual stress and microstructures has yet been clearly understood. In view of this, the latest progress in the characterization methods such as electron backscattered diffraction, focused ion beam-digital image correlation, nanoindentation, among others, in mapping the micro-residual stress is summarized, including the testing principle, scope of application, measurement accuracy, along with the corresponding limitations. In addition, the trends for techniques in probing micro-residual stress are also proposed with the aim of extending extra vision for further improving the measurement accuracy and systematic research on residual stresses on microscopic scale.

This study proposes an image-driven model based on the SimVP spatiotemporal neural network (STNN) to predict the fatigue crack growth (FCG) in aluminum alloys. This methodology represents a novel usage of STNNs for FCG analysis. It does not require repetitive modeling, extensive computations, or conventional mechanical assumptions. The datasets used during this study were gathered from fatigue experiments with a variety of crack positions, angles, and load levels; they contained a total of 17,925 image frames obtained from DIC measurements. Subsequently, the displacement fields were interpolated onto uniform grids and then augmented, so they could be fitted into an STNN. The proposed method was validated using specimens with edge and central cracks subjected to loads equal to 15.0 % and 20.0 % of the ultimate load. The generalization capability of the proposed method was studied by predicting the FCG under load levels and crack angles outside the training set. In addition, its predictive capability was investigated for both short and long step sizes by employing datasets in which the image data were collected at varying intervals. The overall structural similarity index measurement values were greater than 0.968, and the root mean square errors were held within 0.025 mm. The predicted displacement fields, crack lengths, and crack growth rates agreed well with experimental measurements.

The constraint correction methodology for defect assessment is not widely applied in fitness-for-service codes in the nuclear industry and there are a limited number of testing standards to account for low-constraint testing. In this work, fracture toughness testing was performed with two different types of alloy steels. SE(B), C(T), and SE(T) specimen configurations were used, along with varying a/W ratios and specimen sizes, allowing for varying levels of constraint. New quality assurance measures related to selection of testing temperature, crack front straightness, and compliance for low constraint specimens are suggested. The results show that the SE(B) specimens are sensitive to CMOD measurement point location. Future work should be focused on improving and validating the instrumentation and analysis practices for low constraint specimens. Yet, the obtained SE(T) T₀ values follow models predicting the effect of constraint loss developed using larger specimens. The work impacts the development of quality criteria for future low constraint testing standards.