NUMERICAL ANALYSIS OF THE ENERGY RELEASE RATE AT THE ONSET OF CRACK KINKING IN AN ANISOTROPIC ELASTIC BODY USING THE E-INTEGRAL

Abstract

We compute the energy release rate at the onset of crack kinking in an anisotropic elastic body by using the E-integral, which is path-independent even for such cases. The model is an infinite plate with a center crack under the mode I loading in three types of transversely isotropic body.
As a result, we find that, in the anisotropic elastic bodies, the kinking angle for the maximum energy release rate is nearly equal to zero as in an isotropic body; however, the magnitude of the energy release rate is much dependent on the derection of anisotropic axes.