Issue 49

N. S. Popova et alii, Frattura ed Integrità Strutturale, 49 (2019) 267-271; DOI: 10.3221/IGF-ESIS.49.26 271 C ONCLUSIONS he paper deals with the variational principle of brittle fracture mechanics which is applied to predict the crack path in the case of the wedge under concentrated tensile load. The basic equations of the variational principle are presented. The following conclusions can be made. The weight function in basic equations, which is assumed to be proportional to the maximum strain in an infinite wedge under concentrated tensile load, allows predicting crack path in general. To validate the variational principle for a search of the crack path in the case of a wedge under concentrated tensile force P, the truncated wedge is tested at room temperature. The crack paths have arc shapes and are perpendicular to the lateral surface of the truncated wedge as it was expected according the variational principle. The predicted crack path is in agreement with experimental results. A CKNOWLEDGEMENTS rofessor Matvienko acknowledges the support of the Russian Science Foundation (project N 18-19-00351). R EFERENCES [1] Aliha, M.R.M., Ayatollahi, M.R., Smith, D.J. and Pavier, M.J. (2010). Geometry and size effects on fracture trajectory in a limestone rock under mixed mode loading, Engng. Fract. Mech., 77, pp. 2200-2212. [2] Sajjadi, S. H., Ostad Ahmad Ghorabi, M. J. and Salimi-Majd, D. (2015). A novel mixed-mode brittle fracture criterion for crack growth path prediction under static and fatigue loading, Fatigue Fract. Eng. Mater. Struct., 38, pp. 1372– 1382. [3] Mirsayar, M.M., Berto, F., Aliha, M.R.M. and Park, P. (2016). Strain-based criteria for mixed-mode fracture of polycrystalline graphite, Engng. Fract. Mech., 156, pp. 114-123. [4] Pook, L.P. (2016). The linear elastic analysis of cracked bodies, crack paths and some practical crack path examples, Eng. Fract. Mech., 167, pp. 2-19. [5] Berto, F. and Gomez, J. (2017). Notched plates in mixed mode loading (I+ II): a review based on the local strain energy density and the cohesive zone mode, Engineering Solid Mechanics, 5, pp. 1-8. [6] Matvienko, Yu.G. (2012). Maximum Average Tangential Stress Criterion for Prediction of the Crack Path, Int. J. Fract., 176, pp. 113-118. [7] Parton, V.Z. and Morozov, E.M. (1989). Mechanics of Elastic-Plastic Fracture, Hemisphere publ.: N.Y. [8] Morozov, E.M. (1998) Some Heuristic Models of Propageting Cracks. In FRACTURE: A Topical Encyclopedia of Current Knowledge (Cherepanov, G.P., Ed.), Krieger Publ. Comp.: Florida. [9] Matvienko, Y.G., Morozov, E.M. (2017). Two basic approaches in a search of the crack propagation angle, Fatigue Fract. Eng. Mater. Struct., 40, pp. 1191-1200. P