A study of dynamic crack growth in elastic materials using a cohesive zone model (Q1388320)

We consider the problem of a semi-infinite mode III crack dynamically propagating in a two-dimensional linear elastic infinite body. The crack tip is assumed to be a cohesive zone whose (finite) size is determined so as to cancel the classical crack tip stress singularity caused by the applied loads. The cohesive zone behavior is assumed rate-dependent and is characterized by a thermodynamically based constitutive equation. A new semi-analytical solution method has been formulated to solve the resulting initial value problem. The proposed solution method offers the capability to analyze the entire crack growth phenomenon (acceleration-steady state-arrest), without requiring special assumptions.