The application of the Eshelby equivalent inclusion method for unifying modulus and transformation toughening

When a crack is lodged in an inclusion, both difference between the modulus of the inclusion and matrix material and stress-free transformation strain of the inclusion will cause the near-tip stress intensity factor to be greater (amplification effect) or less (shielding or toughening effect) than that prevailing in a homogeneous material. In this paper, the inclusion may represent a second phase particle in composites and a transformation or microcracked process zone in brittle materials, which may undergo a stress-free transformation strain induced by phase transformation, microcracking, thermal expansion mismatch and so forth. A close form of solution is derived for predicting the toughening (or amplification) effect. The derivation is based on Eshelby equivalent inclusion approach that provides rigorous theoretical basis to unify the modulus and transformation contributions to the near-tip field. As validated by numerical examples, the developed formula has excellent accuracy for different application cases