Abstract :
steady-state crack growth in a coupled thermoelastic solid at room temperature
is considered. The process is quasi-brittle in the sense that a Dugdale inelastic zone forms ahead of
the crack. However, the yield condition defining the zone is of the multiaxial von Mises type, which
introduces a non-linear condition into the analysis. This zone also acts as an effective heat source
for the surrounding thermoelastic material. The zone heat flux function is not known initially,
however, but is treated as a process parameter.
The associated mixed boundary value problem is solved by a Wiener-Hopf technique, and
experimentally-based values for the crack speed and near-crack temperature rise then imposed. This
calibration process allows comparisons of the model with standard Dugdale models in non-thermal
solids to be made without having to impose a complete fracture criterion.
Results show that coupled thermoelasticity and the von Mises condition enhance both inelastic
zone size and dynamic fracture toughness, and that this effect increases with crack speed. The zone
length values also show agreement with experimentally-based calculations. Copyright 0 1996
Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.
