Plane strain asymptotic fields of a crack growing along an elastic- elastic power-law creeping bi-material interface (Q1322755)

The authors examine analytically the asymptotic stress field near the tip of a growing crack along the interface between a linear elastic and an elastic power law creeping material under plane strain mixed mode loading condition. For \(n \geq 3\) the near tip stress and strain fields are found to be of the form \(\sigma_{ij} \sim ({\dot a \over BE_+ r})^{1/(n -1)} \widetilde \sigma_{ij} (\theta, n, \beta)\), \(\varepsilon_{ij} \sim ({\dot a \over BE_+ r})^{1/(n - 1)} \widetilde \varepsilon_{ij} (\theta, n, \beta)\), and are entirely determined by current crack tip velocity \(\dot a\) and material properties. The numerical results show that, for given values of \(n\) and \(\beta = E_+/E_-\), the angular functions \(\widetilde \sigma_{ij} (\theta, n, \beta)\) and \(\widetilde \varepsilon_{ij} (\theta, n, \beta)\) exhibit only two modes, one of which is strongly mode I type and the other is strongly mode II type. Thus the amplitude and mode mixture are both independent of the far field loading condition. For fixed \(\beta\), the two solutions merge into one as \(n\) is decreased to a value near \(n = 3\). Below this value of \(n\) no real separable solution of the type mentioned above exists.