Crack arrest characteristics and dynamic fracture parameters of moving cracks encountering double holes under impact loads

• A new specimen of large-size semi-circular notched with a fissure and double holes was proposed. • The effect of double holes on the dynamic crack arrest behavior of moving cracks was investigated. • The variation of double hole spacing leads to three characteristics of dynamic crack trajectory. • In the zones between two holes, DSIFs and DERRs were seriously affected by double hole spacing. Brittle materials such as rock or concrete contain a large number of micro-cracks, voids, and other defects. Under external impacting loads, the interaction between fissures and holes affects the bearing capacity and stability of Engineering structures. To study the interaction mechanism between moving cracks and circular holes, a large-size semi-circular notched with a fissure and double circular hole (SNFDH) specimen was suggested in this research, and the dynamic fracture tests were carried out on the SNFDH specimens with different double circular hole spacing (35 mm, 40 mm, 45 mm, 50 mm, 55 mm, 60 mm, and 70 mm) using a drop hammer impact test device. Crack propagation gauges were employed to track the time and velocity at which the crack propagated along its trajectory. Dynamic Drucker-Prager yield criterion and cumulative damage failure criterion were used in the numerical simulation of the SNFDH concrete materials. The program AUTODYN was employed to simulate the crack growth characteristics when a crack encounters the double hole. The program ABAQUS was applied to calculate the dynamic fracture parameters of cracks. The test results manifest that the crack propagating trajectory has three different characteristics according to the double hole spacing; the double circular hole has an arresting function for a moving crack; the size of the double hole spacing has a significant effect on the crack propagating velocity, crack propagating length, dynamic stress intensity factor and dynamic energy release rate; the configuration of the SNFDH specimen can be used to investigate the crack arrest mechanism when moving crack encountering double holes.