An alternative formulation of the Ritchie–Knott–Rice local fracture criterion

In the paper an alternative formulation of the RKR local fracture criterion is proposed. It is based on the features of the stress distribution in front of a blunted crack in an elastic–plastic material. The stress distribution is computed using the finite strain option in the finite element method. It is postulated that the opening stress in front of the crack should be greater than the critical one, σc, over the distance l ⩾ lc, where lc is considered as a material parameter. The hypothesis is applied to estimate the influence of the in-plane constraint on fracture toughness. New formulas to compute the critical value of the J-integral are derived both for the small scale yielding and large plastic deformations in front of the crack. The results obtained are compared with the Sumpter and Forbes experimental results and with the O’Dowd analytical formula concerning the Jc = Jc(JIC,Q) relation.