A fracture mechanics analysis of the double cleavage drilled compression test specimen

The “double cleavage drilled compression” specimen is used for the determination of crack growth rates under mode-I and general mixed-mode loading conditions. In this paper, a fracture mechanics analysis is presented for the DCDC specimen, using a finite-element analysis to determine stresses, strains and surface displacements. Weight functions are derived, and the consequence of load misalignment is demonstrated. Finally, side-surface displacements at the crack terminating region are studied using a 3-dimensional, finite-element computation in combination with results from the literature that are based on an ‘‘asymptotic analysis”. Calculated side-surface displacements in the vicinity of the crack tip are found to agree with published values obtained by others via measurements using the atomic force microscope.