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Links to deliverables and publications from FP7 projects, as well as links to some specific result types such as dataset and software, are dynamically retrieved from OpenAIRE .
Exploitable results
The project has dealt with the transferability problem for thin fracture mechanics specimen, i.e., with the question how the fracture toughness data change if the specimen geometry and/or the loading conditions are altered. This question is important for the failure assessment of biaxially loaded large-scale structural components, such as the fuselage of an aircraft.
Experimental and numerical/theoretical studies were made. In the experimental work crack growth resistance curves were recorded from large and small centre cracked aluminium plates which were uni- and biaxially loaded. The initial crack length was varied. The experiments gave the following results: Different established procedures to estimate the J-integral (J) show a considerable variation. The J-values at fracture initiation depend on both specimen size and initial crack length. At the fracture initiation points the constraint was determined measured in terms of the elastic T-stress or the plane-strain Q-stress. A general trend can be observed: increasing constraint, i.e. increasing crack length or increasing specimen size, leads (for thin specimens and micro-ductile fracture mode) to an increase in toughness. An explanation for this behaviour is given. (The opposite trend has been seen for many materials in thick specimens or for brittle failure modes).
In the numerical work the fracture parameters J-integral and Q-stress, for biaxially loaded panels under plane stress and plane strain, were calculated using finite element analysis. A number of different normalizations are presented to allow calculation of the J-integral from experimental results. Two different configurations are considered, one where the boundaries of the plate are allowed to move freely and another one where the boundaries are constrained.
During the course of the project six scientific papers have been written. Our work on the project will continue because a lot of experiments are not yet fully analysed. One additional paper is in preparation.
The results of the project may, in the end, lead to a new testing procedure for conducting and analysing fracture mechanics tests under biaxial loading and to a new basis for assessing flaws in biaxially loaded large-scale components.
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