Extraction of fracture mechanics parameters from steady-state dynamic crack-tip fields

Abstract A procedure for determining the fracture mechanics parameters of interest from full-field optical mechanics data is presented. Examples are presented for crack-tip stress fields recorded using dynamic photoelasticity. Stress-field representations in series form, when combined with local collocation procedures, are shown to be a powerful tool for reliable and accurate parameter determination. The methodology is illustrated and applied to two cases of dynamic crack propagation, one pertaining to opening-mode crack propagation and the other to a smoothly curving crack. Emphasis has been placed on giving guidance to a user on how best to approach implementation of the methodology from a practical standpoint.