Failure methodology of mode-II loaded cracks

Abstract

Various aspects of the failure behaviour initiated from mode-II loaded cracks are discussed: validity criteria and minimum size specimen requirements for measuring the fracture toughness K I I c ; energy balance of the process of initiation of kinked cracks including compressive notch tip stress concentrations; failure mode transition from tensile cracks to adiabatic shear bands at high loading rates; loading rate dependence of the dynamic fracture toughness K I I d in the regime of failure mode transition. Findings of studies on these subjects are presented and implications of the results for practical applications are discussed. The failure behaviour of mode-II loaded cracks is found very different and far more complicated than of mode-I loaded cracks, generalizations from mode-I to mode-II can therefore be severely misleading.