Nondestructive Evaluation of the J and M Integrals

Abstract

The usefulness of two conservation integrals, the so-called J and M integrals, in fracture mechanics is reviewed. A method for experimental evaluation of these quantities by direct determination of the values of their integrands at various points along a contour is presented, and contrasted with “compliance” methods which have been used to evaluate J. This technique has been applied to three different specimen configurations, and the experimental results compare favorably with theoretical predictions.