1

Chapter 4

Overview

In case of LEFM (Linear elastic fracture mechanics)

is not valid, CTOD and the J integral method will be
adopted especially for ductile materials.

For ductile materials, the crack faces moves prior to
fracture and creates a blunt crack tip, this crack
opening can be used as a measure of the toughness of
the material.

This parameter is known as Crack Tip Opening
Displacement or commonly in the form of
abbreviation CTOD this parameter developed by
Wells.

The displacement at the original crack tip and the
3
90 intercept. These are equivalent if the crack
blunts in a semicircle.

Evolution of Crack Blunting

As crack opens under applied load

FIGURE 3.2: Estimation of CTOD from the

displacement of the effective crack in the Irwin
plastic zone correction.

Crack advances at critical

value of CTOD


The effect of a plastic zone at the crack tip is to extend the

effective length of the crack by ry - half the diameter of the
plastic zone.

Hence the opening of the crack at its real tip can be
approximated from the calculated elastic displacements of the
virtual (extended) crack evaluated at a point some ry from the
virtual crack tip as shown in Figure 4.1.

Figure 4.1 : Additional crack opening as a result of plasticity at crack tip


The CTOD is given by double the displacement uyy in the tensile direction,
for plane stress this is given by the equation:

u yy =

KI
2

r
3


for plane stress
sin K + 1 2 cos 2 where K =
2
1+
2
2

Evaluating this at ry from the crack tip = 180o;

u yy =

K I (K + 1) ry
2
2

Substituting for the plastic zone size;

1 K I
ry =
2 ys

gives

u yy

and substituting

K + 1)
(
=
2

KI
2 ys

E
2(1+ )

Hence
2

4 KI
= 2u yy =
E ys

CTOD, = 2u yy

4 KI
=
E ys

K
However from Chapter 2 (LEFM); G = I
E

Or according to Dugdale model;

G
R
=
m ys m ys

where m is a constant 1 for plane stress and 2 for plane strain (1< m < 3)

C =

GC
R
=
m ys m ys
7

Where; R is work of fracture = GC at fracture

CTOD Measurement/Testing
The main objective of the test is to determine the critical
crack at the onset of crack extension.

This is done by measuring the displacement at the
mouth of the crack using a clip gauge.

This procedure is detailed in the ASTM E1820 Standard
provides for CTOD measurements on both compact and
SENB specimens.

The machine notch is precracked produced under
carefully controlled fatigue loading conditions (the rate
of stress intensity factor is between 0.5 and 2.5 MPam
s-1).

The specimen is then gradually loaded until the
maximum load.

Plot of the load versus the clip gauge displacement
situated close to the mouth opening is made.

loa d

CTOD analysis using ASTM standards

Pc

Pi

f racture

(a)

Pu

Pm
Pi

f racture

(b)

(c)

M outh opening

Three main categories of fracture surface

Figure (a) - Fracture surface does not exhibit tearing and the final fracture occurs
under increasing load.
Figure (b) - Fracture surface exhibits tearing and the final fracture occurs under
increasing load.
Figure (c) - Fracture surface exhibits tearing and the final fracture occurs under
decreasing load.

Experimental determination of CTOD

Experimental

CTOD can be expressed as;

= el + pl

The plastic displacement at the crack

mouth, Vp is related to the plastic CTOD,
pl through similar triangles construction:
Vp
z
a

r p( W
- a)

p
10

Experimental determination of CTOD contd

= el + pl =

K 2I

m ys E

rp (W a )V p

rp (W a ) + a + z

Where rp is rotational factor. Experiments show that rp lies btween 0.33 to

0.48.

K I 1 2
el =
2 ys E
2

pl =

rp (W a )Vp

rp (W a ) + a + z
KI =

PS
Bw

3
2

a
f
W

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Experimental determination of CTOD contd

The

plastic component Vp is obtained from the

load-displacement curve by constructing a line
parallel to the elastic loading line as
illustrated

Load

Vp

ve

Mouth opening displacement

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12

EXAMPLE
A three-point bend specimen with S = 25 cm, W = 6 cm, a = 3 cm, and B = 3 cm is
used to determine the critical crack opening displacement c of a steel plate
according to British Standard BS 5762. The load-versus crack mouth displacement
(P-V) record of the test is shown in figure below. Determine the critical crack
opening displacement, c when E = 210 Gpa, = 0.3, YS = 800 MPa

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Solution

K I 1 2
el =
2 ys E
2

C = el + pl

For SENB specimen KI can be calculated as follows;

PS

KI =

Bw

3
2

a
f
W

Where P is estimated about 31.6 kN from the graph.

a
For = 0.5, f a can be calculated using the formula for SENB
W
W
specimen or can be obtained from the table in section A 3.5 of ASTM
E399.
1

a
f
W

2
a a
a 2
a
a
3 1.99 1 2.15 3.93 + 2.7
w w
w
w
w

; hence

a
f =
W

2.66

a a 2

21+ 2 1
w w

And KI can be calculated as;

(31.6 10 )(0.25 ) (2.66) = 47.7MPa

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KI =

3
2

0.03(0.06 )

Solution

contd

The elastic component of the crack mouth displacement Vp

is;
47.7 2 (1 0.3 2 )
el =

2(800 ) 210 10

= 0.006

The plastic component of the crack

mouth displacement Vp is
determined from the test record P
V by drawing a line from the
maximum load parallel to the linear
portion of the curve. We have Vp =
1mm. p is determined as;
0.4(0.06 0.03 ) 1 10 3
p =
= 0.286 mm
0.4 0.03 + 0.03
The critical crack opening displacement c is;

C = el + pl = 0.006 + 0.286 = 0.292 mm

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J Integrals
The J-integral represents a way to calculate the strain
energy release rate, or work (energy) per unit fracture
surface area, in a material.

The theoretical concept of J-integral was developed in
1967 by Cherepanov and in 1968 by Jim Rice
independently, who showed that an energetic contour
path integral (called J) was independent of the path
around a crack.

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Figure 4.4 : Line integral around the crack tip J integral

J Integrals Contd
It can be evaluated experimentally by measuring the
stress strain curves for a number of identical specimens
containing cracks of different lengths and plotting the
area under the graph U for each specimen as a function
of the crack length and thus evaluating dU/dA and hence
J.

It is the rate of energy absorbed per unit area as the
crack grows; it is not however the energy release rate
because the plastic energy is not recoverable as it would
be in the elastic case.

There are also specific specimen geometries (deeply
double notched and notched three point bending
specimens) that allow J to be measured from a single
specimen.
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These experiments allow J to be plotted as a function of
the crack extension.

J Integrals Contd
Plotting two curves for specimens differing only in the
length of the crack, a and a + a, the energy required to
grow the crack is the difference in the areas under the two
graphs shaded in the Figure 4.5.

Since the area decreases as the crack grows dU/da is
negative and J = dU/da at unit thickness.

Hence;

Where U is the
potential energy of
the system and A
the area of the
crack.
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Figure 4.5 : Energy release rate for nonlinear deformation

Although J = dU/dA is the same as the definition of the energy

release rate, G used earlier, the J integral for the plastic case
does not represent the energy released as the crack grows
because much of the energy used performs plastic deformation.
(LEFM, J = G; EPFM, J = R, resistance to crack growth)
The standardised test method for determining JIC material
values;

JIC Determination A Procedure for the Determination of
Ductile Fracture Toughness Values Using J Integral
Techniques.

EPFM - On the Determination of Elastic-Plastic Fracture
Material Parameters: A Comparison of Different Test
Methods

ASTM-E1820 - Standard Test Method for Measurement of
Fracture Toughness.
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Calculation of J for SENB specimen.

Where;

J = J el + J pl

Jel = elastic component of J

Jpl = plastic component of J

K 2 1 2
J el =
E
J pl =

pl Apl

B(w a )

Where;

pl = 1.9 if the load-line displacement is used for Apl.

pl = 3.667 2.199 (a/w) + 0.437 (a/w)2 if the CTOD is
used for Apl.

Validation;

B, w a 25

JQ

where

Y =

YS + ult
2

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Minimum four specimens

with the same size of
fatigue crack, a/W > 0.5.

Each specimen is loaded
to a different point on the
load displacement curve
and then unloaded.

Crack is marked (steel
specimens - heat tinting)
to enable measurement of
stable crack growth.

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