Mechanisms of fatigue crack propagation in metals, ceramics and composites:​ role of crack tip shielding

Ritchie, R. O.

Affiliations

¹Center for Advanced Materials, Materials and Chemical Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, and Department of Materials Science and Mineral Engineering University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720 (U.S.A.)

Abstract

Crack tip shielding phenomena, whereby the “effective crack-driving force” actually experienced at the crack tip is locally reduced, are examined with reference to fatigue crack propagation behavior in metals, composites and ceramics. Sources of shielding are briefly described in terms of mechanisms relying on the production of elastically constrained zones which envelop the crack (zone shielding), on the generation of wedging, bridging or sliding forces between the crack surfaces (contact shielding) and on crack path deflection and meandering. Examples are taken from the fatigue behavior of high strength lithium-containing aluminum alloys, aluminum alloy-aramid fiber-epoxy laminate composites, and zirconia ceramics. It is shown that, whereas crack tip shielding can provide a potent means of enhancing “resistance” to crack growth, such extrinsic toughening mechanisms can result in the apparently anomalous behavior of “small cracks” and to the susceptibility of brittle materials to fatigue failure.

Links

DOI: 10.1016/0025-5416(88)90547-2

WoS: A1988P911400004

History

Received: 1988-03-11

Cited By (24)

Year	Entry
2010	Launey ME, Chen P-Y, McKittrick J, Ritchie RO. Mechanistic aspects of the fracture toughness of elk antler bone. Acta Biomater. April 2010;6(4):1505-1514.
2010	Launey ME, Buehler MJ, Ritchie RO. On the mechanistic origins of toughness in bone. Ann Rev Mater Sci. 2010;40:25-53.
2003	Nalla RK, Kinney JH, Ritchie RO. Effect of orientation on the in vitro fracture toughness of dentin: the role of toughening mechanisms. Biomaterials. October 2003;24(22):3955-3968.
2003	Kruzic JJ, Nalla RK, Kinney JH, Ritchie RO. Crack blunting, crack bridging and resistance-curve fracture mechanics in dentin: effect of hydration. Biomaterials. 2003;24(28):5209-5221.
2005	Nalla RK, Kruzic JJ, Kinney JH, Ritchie RO. Mechanistic aspects of fracture and R-curve behavior in human cortical bone. Biomaterials. January 2005;26(2):217-231.
2006	Yang QD, Cox BN, Nalla RK, Ritchie RO. Fracture length scales in human cortical bone: the necessity of nonlinear fracture models. Biomaterials. March 2006;27(9):2095-2113.
2011	Barth HD, Zimmermann EA, Schaible E, Tang SY, Alliston T, Ritchie RO. Characterization of the effects of x-ray irradiation on the hierarchical structure and mechanical properties of human cortical bone. Biomaterials. December 2011;32(34):8892-8904.
2014	Zimmermann EA, Gludovatz B, Schaible E, Busse B, Ritchie RO. Fracture resistance of human cortical bone across multiple length-scales at physiological strain rates. Biomaterials. July 2014;35(21):5472-5481.
2004	Nalla RK, Kruzic JJ, Ritchie RO. On the origin of the toughness of mineralized tissue: microcracking or crack bridging? Bone. May 2004;34(5):790-798.
2004	Nalla RK, Kruzic JJ, Kinney JH, Ritchie RO. Effect of aging on the toughness of human cortical bone: evaluation by R-curves. Bone. December 2004;35(6):1240-1246.
2006	Yang QD, Cox BN, Nalla RK, Ritchie RO. Re-evaluating the toughness of human cortical bone. Bone. June 2006;38(6):878-887.
2010	Barth HD, Launey ME, MacDowell AA, Ager JW III, Ritchie RO. On the effect of X-ray irradiation on the deformation and fracture behavior of human cortical bone. Bone. June 2010;46(6):1475-1485.
2015	Zimmermann EA, Busse B, Ritchie RO. The fracture mechanics of human bone: influence of disease and treatment. BoneKEy Rep. September 2015;4:743.
2005	Ritchie RO, Kinney JH, Kruzic JJ, Nalla RK. A fracture mechanics and mechanistic approach to the failure of cortical bone. Fatigue Fract Eng Mater Struct. April 2005;28(4):345-371.
1999	Ritchie RO. Mechanisms of fatigue-crack propagation in ductile and brittle solids. Int J Fract. November 1999;100(1):55-83.
2005	Nalla RK, Stölken JS, Kinney JH, Ritchie RO. Fracture in human cortical bone: local fracture criteria and toughening mechanisms. J Biomech. July 2005;38(7):1517-1525.
2005	Ager JW III, Nalla RK, Breeden KL, Ritchie RO. Deep-ultraviolet Raman spectroscopy study of the effect of aging on human cortical bone. J Biomed Opt. May–June 2005;10(3):034012.
2006	Ager JW III, Balooch G, Ritchie RO. Fracture, aging, and disease in bone. J Mater Res. August 2006;21(8):1878-1892.
2011	Koester KJ, Barth HD, Ritchie RO. Effect of aging on the transverse toughness of human cortical bone: evaluation by R-curves. J Mech Behav Biomed Mater. October 2011;4(7):1504-1513.
2011	Ritchie RO. The conflicts between strength and toughness. Nat Mater. November 2011;10(11):817-822.
2015	Wegst UGK, Bai H, Saiz E, Tomsia AP, Ritchie RO. Bioinspired structural materials. Nat Mater. January 2015;14(1):23-36.
2011	Barth HD. A Hierarchical Approach to Characterizing the Fracture Behavior of Bone Utilizing Synchrotron Radiation [PhD thesis]. Berkeley, CA: Berkeley, University of California; F, 2011.
2011	Zimmermann EA. Deformation and Fracture of Human Cortical Bone Across Multiple Length-Scales [PhD thesis]. Berkeley, CA: Berkeley, University of California; F, 2011.
2021	Fiori CJ-BM. An in Vitro Model of Oxidative Damage in Bovine Cortical Bone to Induce Bone Fragility [Master's thesis]. University of Waterloo; 2021.