Subcritical statistics in rupture of fibrous materials: Experiments and model

TL;DR

This paper investigates the slow, stepwise crack growth in fibrous materials through experiments and a lattice-based model, revealing sub-critical statistics with a power-law distribution and a diverging exponential cut-off near rupture.

Contribution

It introduces a combined experimental and theoretical approach showing that crack growth follows sub-critical point statistics with a specific power-law behavior and a stress-dependent cut-off.

Findings

Stepwise crack growth observed experimentally.

Distribution of step sizes follows a power law with exponent 3/2.

Exponential cut-off diverges at the rupture threshold.

Abstract

We study experimentally the slow growth of a single crack in a fibrous material and observe stepwise growth dynamics. We model the material as a lattice where the crack is pinned by elastic traps and grows due to thermally activated stress fluctuations. In agreement with experimental data we find that the distribution of step sizes follows sub-critical point statistics with a power law (exponent 3/2) and a stress-dependent exponential cut-off diverging at the critical rupture threshold.