Oscillatory Crack Growth in Brittle Materials
Objectives
To study the oscillatory crack instabilities in brittle solids under thermal
shock.
Results
Stresses induced by thermal shock can provide sufficient driving
force for a crack in brittle materials to propagate. Under certain
conditions, the propagating crack paths can become oscillatory.
The picture shown below is an ordinary glass microscope slide with such
a wavy crack. A sharp precrack is first introduced onto one end (the left
end in the picture). The slide
is then passed through a heater and dipped into water at a constant speed.
If the heater temperature, water temperature and the dipping speeds are
just right, wavy cracks develop!
Future Work
To experimentally determine the stress field at the crack tip during
oscillatory crack growth.
References
Ferney, B. D., De Vary, M. R., Hsia, K. J. and Needleman A., "Oscillatory
crack growth in glass," Scripta Materialia 41 (3) 275-281 (1999). [PDF]
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