Study of three-dimensional crack fronts under plane stress using a phase field model

TL;DR

This paper investigates the shape of crack fronts in thin samples under plane stress using a phase field model, revealing an elliptical shape influenced by material properties and sample dimensions.

Contribution

It introduces a phase field model with a well-defined sharp interface limit to analyze three-dimensional crack front shapes in thin samples.

Findings

Crack front is elliptical with axes related to sample width and Poisson ratio.

Front shape is independent of crack speed and perpendicular sample extension.

Model provides a new approach to studying crack propagation in thin materials.

Abstract

The shape of a crack front propagating through a thin sample is studied using a phase field model. The model is shown to have a well defined sharp interface limit. The crack front is found to be an ellipse with large axis the width of the sample and small axis a function of the Poisson ratio and the width of the sample. Numerical results also indicate that the front shape is independent of the crack speed and of the sample extension perpendicular to its width.