Closed-form physics-informed extension of Griffith’s law for HDPEC-retarded crack growth

Crack propagation in metallic alloys remains a central challenge in structural integrity assessment. Conventional models based on linear elasticity or idealized plastic-zone theories do not adequately reflect the toughening mechanisms introduced by electropulsing. This study presents a closed-form analytical extension of Griffith’s law that incorporates a three-coefficient damping term to capture the current-induced plastic dissipation near the crack tip. The proposed model accurately reproduces the full stress-crack-length response under electropulsing conditions up to 400[Formula: see text]A/mm 2 with sub-3% error using only 8–10 data points. Validation through in-situ optical tracking and multiscale scanning electron microscopy confirms a smooth transition from elastic to plastic crack growth that depends on current density. The damping coefficient [Formula: see text] increases dramatically from 0.01 to 0.77 with pulse intensity and correlates directly with microstructural evidence of crack tip blunting and void coalescence. This physics-based formulation bridges fundamental electromagnetic effects with practical fracture assessment, enabling predictive design of fracture-critical components under combined mechanical and electrical loading.