On the Jx1-integral and the out-of-plane constraint in a 3D elastic cracked plate loaded in tension

In this study, the behaviour of the J(x1)-integral and its components J(P)-integral and J(A)-integral is numerically investigated for 3D linear elastic cracked plates of different thicknesses loaded in tension. Unlike the path-independent J(x1)-integral, the components J(P) and J(A) are shown to be path dependent in a region that coincides with the out-of-plane constrained zone due to the thickness effect, enabling the characterization of this zone with such integrals. The distribution of the out-of-plane components sigma(33) and epsilon(33) in the vicinity of the crack front is also analyzed for different thicknesses and confronted to 2D solutions. In addition, a novel tensor concept of the stress intensity k(ij) is introduced, showing a unique structure depending on K(1) irrespective of the specimen thickness. It is confirmed that a pure plane strain condition close and far from the crack front is only asymptotically reached when the specimen thickness is very large when compared to the in-plane dimensions. For thin plates, it is confirmed that the 2D plane stress condition is meaningless in the neighborhood of a 3D crack front under elastic behaviour. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.