UNIVER SITY OF NAIRO BI

DEPAR TMENT OF MECHA NICAL ENGIN EERING

FME 452: FRACTURE OF MATER IALS
TUTOR IAL 1: FRACTURE OF MATER IALS

1) Different iate between battle fracture and ductile fracture.

With aid of sketches, explain the process of formation of "cup and cone" during the fracture
of a ductile materials subjected to a tensile load.
2) How do you distingui sh between brittle and ductile fracture surfaces? Name metals that are
associate d with each type of fracture.
3) Using a suitable curve, explain what is meant by "Theoreti cal cohesive strength of a brittle
solid."
4) Explain what you understan d by the term "Stress concentra tion" in a loaded body. illustrate
using a circular hole and an elliptical hole in a plate.
5) Derive the Griffith's equation and show how it was modified in case of plasticity by Orowan.
6) State Griffith's criterion for the propagati on of a crack in an infinitely large plate.
7) Derive the equation for strain energy release rate or crack driving force in a Griffith plate of
unit thickness .
8) Describe stress intensity factor of a material and how it relates to applied stress and crack
length.
9) Explain the term "Fracture Toughne ss" of a material
10) Explain what you understan d by the term crack extension force. Show how it is related to the
fracture stress of a material.
11) In a designing against brittle fracture, a notched bar impact tests are usually used as a guide.
How do these tests differ from tensile and how are the results presented ?
 UNIVER SITY OF NAIROB I
DEPARTM ENT OF MECHANI CAL ENGINEERING
FME 452:FRAC TURE OF MATERIA LS
TUTORIA L 2: FRACTUR E OF MATERIA LS
1. Using Griffith's equation for plane stress, determine the critical crack length for;
a) Iron
b) Zinc
c) NaCl if the following materials properties apply;
~ N/m2 ~ E
(N/m2 ) (N/m2 )
Iron 90 X 106 1.2 205 X 10 6
Zinc 2 0 X 10 6 0.8 35 X 10 6
NaCl 2 0 X 10 6 0.15 50 X 10 6

2. Calculate critical crack length in iron according to the Griffith's equation given:
Ys = 10 6 erg/cm2
E = 9
2 05 x 10 N/m
2

Ut = 96 X 109 N/m2
3. A steel plate is 300mm wide and 4mm thick is used for fabrication of an oil tanker. The
tanker will be used in conditions where the temperature s may reach -24C. Knowing that
after constructio n, the tanker plate is tested by NDT that reveals any crack longer than
2mm.Ccalc ulate the maximum stress that may be applied to the plate without causing a
brittle failure. The mechanical properties of the material at -2 4 Care;

µ= 0.3
E = 2S0GPa
uuts = 16 00MPa
2
Ys = 4J/m
Yp = 3000J/m2
4. A constructio n steel plate has a through - thickness flaw. A laboratory test results for that
particular structural steel gives;
uo(yields tress) = 552MN/m2
K1 = 66MPa-./m
 Compare the tolerable flaw size for a design stress of:
i) 138MN/m2
ii) 310MN/m2
Comment on the results

5. A plate of steel with a central flaw of length 16mm is subjected to a stress of 32 OMPa
normal to the crack plate. If the yield stress of the material is 1400MPa. Calculate;
i) The plastic zone size
ii) The effective stress intensity level of the crack tip
6. The stress intensity factor for a partial- through thickness flaw is given by;
K 1c = unc✓sec nc/2 t
If the flaw is 5mm deep in a wall 12. 7mm thick, determine whether the wall will support
a stress of 172 MPa if it is made from 7075-T6 aluminium alloy where stress intensity
factor is 2 4MPa-Jiii.

7. In brittle structure, the sensitivity of crack detection governs the design criterion for the
working stress. A hyper- strength steel plate that is 0. 02m thick with cross- sectional areas
of J 6m2 is found to contain an edge crack 0.16mm long. During testing of this plate, it
failed under a uniform tensile load of 4MPa. In service the plate is found to contain
detectable cracks that are greater than 4 x 10-4m deep. Determine the maximum load that
the structure can withstand in service.

8. A large plate of aluminium alloy is used as a member of a machine component working at

an applied stress of 500MN/m2 • During the test of the machine, the plate failed
catastrophically when the working stress reached. On investigation, the plate is found to
have contained a sharp crack of length 3mm. If the yield stress of the material is
J O00MN/m2, determine the fracture toughness of the material assuming plane strain

conditions.
 -

UNIV ERS ITY OF NAIR OBI

FME 452: FRA CTU RE OF MATERIALS

TUT ORI AL 3: FRACTURE OF MATERIALS

1. If the tough ness of a therm oplas tic polym ers Ge=

103/ m-2 , what woul d be the critic al crack
lengt h unde r an appli ed stress of200 MPa . Take Youn
g's modu lus of the polym er to be 70GP a
(0.56 mm).

2. 300- M steel comm only used for air plane landing

gears has a Ge value of I OkN/m . A non-
destr uctiv e exam inatio n techn ique capab le of detecting
crack s that are Imm long is available.
Com pute the stress level that the landi ng gear can suppo
rt witho ut failure. Take E= 207G Pa.

3. A line pipe with overa ll diam eter of Im and 25mm

thickness is constructed from a micro
alloy ed steel (K,c = 60M Pa ✓ m; Uy= 600M Pa). Calculate the maxi mum
press ure for
whic h the leak- befor e- break criterion will be obeyed.
Take s.f =2. The leak- befor e- break
criter ion states that the thick ness crack (c = t) will not
propagate catastrophically.

4. Deter mine the safe opera ting pressure in an aluminium

pressure vessel 0.25m diam eter with a
5mm wall thickness. Assu me fracture by yield when
the hoop stress reaches the yield
stress Uy= 330M Pa. Use a factor of safety of¾ (9.9M
Pa). To ensure again st _fracture of a
rapid crack growth, calculate the maxi mum crack length
permissible at the opera ting stress
using a toughness value of K,c = 41MPa✓ m (O. 013m )

5. A thin- walled pressure vessel is made from Ti -

6Al - 4Vc (super alloy) with K,c =
57MPa✓ m and uo = 360M Pa. The internal pressure produces a circumferential hoop
stress of 360MPa. The crack is semi- elliptical surface crack
oriented with the majo r plane of
the crack perpendicular to the uniform tensile hoop stress
. For this type of loading and
geometry, the stress intensity factor is given by;
1.21 cn:u2
K,c = -- Q- -

Q = cJ, 2 - 0.212 cu;u~ 2

Where <p is the elliptical integral of the second order.

 Find the size of the critical era k hi .
c w ch WIii cause rapture of the pressure vessel with a wall
thickness of 12mm. Take Q = 2 _35 _

6. A tensile sample of width to mm contams .

. an mternal crack of length O. 3mm. When loaded
in tension the crack suddenly propagates when the stress reaches 450MPa. What is the
fracture toughness K,c of the material of the sample? If the material has a modulus E
of2 00GPa, what is its toughness Ge?

7 · What is the magnitude of the maximum stress that exists at the tip of an internal crack having
4
a radius of curvature of 1.9 x J0- 4mm and a crack length of 3.8 x ·J0- mm when a tensile stress
of 140MPa is applied? (um= z 80MPa)

8. Estimate the theoretical fracture strength of a brittle material ifit is known that fracture occurs
by the propagation of an elliptically shaped surface crack of length 0.5mm and having a tip
radius of curvature of 5 x 10mm when a stress of 1035MPa is applied.

2
9. If the specific energy of aluminium oxide (AhOJ) is 0.9J/m , compute the critical stress
required for the propagation of an internal crack of length 0.40mm. Take E= 3930Pa, flexural
strength of 450MPa (o-c = 33. 6MPa)

10. An MgO (magnesium oxide) must not fail when a tensile stress of 13.5MPa is applied.
Determine the maximum allowable surface length of the crack if the surface energy of MgO is
J.0J/m 2 . Tale E= 2250Pa.

11. A specimen of 4340 steel alloy with a plane strain fracture toughness of 54. 8MPa✓-in is
exposed to a stress of 1030MPa. Will this specimen experience fracture it if is known that the
largest surface crack is 0.5mm long? Why or why not. Assume that the parameter Yhas a value
of 1.0.

12. Some aircraft component is fabricated from an aluminium alloy that has a plane strain fracture
toughness of 40MPa ✓-,ii. It has been determined that fracture results at a stress of 300MPa
when the maximum (or critical) internal crack length is 4. 00mm. For this same component and
 alloy will fracture occur at a stress level of 260MPa when the maximum internal crack length
is 6.0mm? Why or why not? (Fracture will occur).

13 • Suppose that a wing component on an aircraft is fabricated from an aluminium alloy that has
a plane strain fracture toughness ofz 6MPa {in. It has been determined that fracture results
at a stress of 112MPa when the maximum interval crack length is 8.6mm. For this same
component and alloy, compute the stress level at which fracture will occur for a critical internal
crack length of 6.0mm.

14. A large plate is fabricated from a steel alloy that has a plane strain fracture toughness
of82 .4MPa{m. If during service use, the plate is exposed to a tensile stress of 345Mpa,
determine the minimum length of a surface crack that will lead to fracture. Assume a value of
1.0 for Y (c = 18.2mm).

15. Calculate the maximum interval crack length allowable for a Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloy
component that is loaded to a stress one-half of its yield strength: Assume that uy =
910MPa, K1c = 55MPa../m, Y = 1. 50.

16. A structural component in the form of a wide plate is to be fabricate from a steel alloy that
has a plane strain fracture toughness of 98. 9MPa../m and a yield strength of 860MPa. The
flaw size resolution limit of the flaw detection apparatus is 3.0mm. If the design stress is one-
half of the yield strength and the value of Y is 1.0, determine whether or not a critical flaw for
this plate is subject to detection (is subject to detection since c ~ 3. 0mm).