Inclined pileup of screw dislocations at the crack tip with a dislocation-free zone (Q1085687)

A single pileup of screw dislocations extending from the crack tip along an inclined direction has been observed in experiments. It is often associated with dislocation emission mechanisms at the crack tip. This linear pileup is a microplastic slipline emanating from the crack tip. A region near the crack tip is often free from dislocations because of a finite resistance value for the crack tip to emit dislocations. The mathematical problem is solved in this paper by applying the extended Wiener-Hopf method. The condition of finite stress at the end of the plastic zone, the crack opening displacement, and the stress distribution along the slipline are obtained in analytical expressions. Numerical values are calculated and the results can be used to discuss brittle versus ductile fracture for metals as treated in previous studied. A method to approximately calculate the corresponding results for edge dislocations is suggested.