Some characteristcs of a propagating brittle tensile crack

Journal Article · Mon Nov 01 00:00:00 EST 1971 · Geophysics; (United States)

OSTI ID:6331479

Hanson, M E; Sanford, A R

A numerical technique was used to formulate the 2-dimensional equations of motion for an elastic continuum. A brittle tensile crack was stimulated to form and propagate in the continuum. The stress field in front of the fracture tip was found to become increasingly hydrostatic with increasing fracture velocity. A fracture criterion in terms of the values of the principal stresses near the fracture tip indicated a terminal velocity for a straight running fracture of approx. 0.39 of the dilatational wave speed. Part of the elastic energy residing initially in the continuum accumulated at the fracture tip. A quantitative fit of the excess elastic energy as a function of crack half length and velocity showed that excess energy at the fracture tip increases as the square of fracture length and decreases with fracture velocity. (12 refs.)

• Research Organization: New Mexico Inst Mining and Technol; New Mexico Inst Mining W Technol
• OSTI ID: 6331479
• Journal Information: Geophysics; (United States), Vol. 24:3
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
58 GEOSCIENCES
CRACK PROPAGATION
VELOCITY
ROCK MECHANICS
BRITTLENESS
ELASTICITY
EQUATIONS
FLEXIBILITY
FRACTURES
FRACTURING
LENGTH
MATHEMATICS
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
STRESSES
TESTING
COMMINUTION
DIMENSIONS
FAILURES
MECHANICS
TENSILE PROPERTIES
020300* - Petroleum- Drilling & Production
580300 - Mineralogy
Petrology
& Rock Mechanics- (-1989)