Electrostrictive stresses near crack-like flaws (Q1262169)

The effect of an elliptical through flaw in an infinite isotropic body is considered. It is found that, in the case of thin ellipses, the near flaw tip mechanical stresses approximate the singular stresses near a slit crack with an equivalent stress intensity factor. In that sense, the flaw may be considered as a slit crack and treated in terms of linear elastic fracture mechanics. However, except for impermeable and conducting flaws, the value of the equivalent stress intensity factor depends on the aspect ratio of the flaw. As the aspect ratio of the flaw diminishes, the magnitude of the equivalent stress intensity factor falls and disappears in the limit of a slit crack. The results are used to show that a flaw- like crack in a material with a very high dielectric constant can be treated by fracture mechanics as an impermeable slit crack when the flaw aspect ratio is an order of magnitude greater than the ratio of dielectric permittivities (flaw value divided by the value for the surrounding material).