Crack Velocity Dependent Dynamic Stress Intensity Factor of a Steel Material

Dynamic fracture analysis of engineering materials is important for structural integrity. In this study, Mott’s equation of dynamic fracture is further modified by considering the crack velocity dependent effective surface energy of the material. The parameters of the fracture model are determined using the nonlinear best curve fit of the experimental data concerning dynamic stress intensity factor (DSIF) vs. crack velocity of the steel material (AISI 4340) reported in literature. The optimized parameters are also used to establish the relationship between DSIF and effective surface energy with crack tip velocity. At the end, these observations are justified in view of the results from literature.