The Breakdown of Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics near the Tip of a Rapid Crack
Abstract
We present high resolution measurements of the displacement and strain fields near the tip of a dynamic (Mode I) crack. The experiments are performed on polyacrylamide gels, brittle elastomers whose fracture dynamics mirror those of typical brittle amorphous materials. Over a wide range of propagation velocities (0.2-0.8cs), we compare linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) to the measured near-tip fields. We find that, sufficiently near the tip, the measured stress intensity factor appears to be non-unique, the crack tip significantly deviates from its predicted parabolic form, and the strains ahead of the tip are more singular than the r-1/2 divergence predicted by LEFM. These results show how LEFM breaks down as the crack tip is approached.