Breakdown of Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics near the Tip of a Rapid Crack

We present high resolution measurements of the displacement and strain fields near the tip of a dynamic (mode I) crack. The experiments are performed on polyacrylamide gels, brittle elastomers whose fracture dynamics mirror those of typical brittle amorphous materials. Over a wide range of propagation velocities (0.2-0.8c(s)), we compare linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) to the measured near-tip fields. We find that, sufficiently near the tip, the measured stress intensity factor appears to be nonunique, the crack tip significantly deviates from its predicted parabolic form, and the strains ahead of the tip are more singular than the r(-1/2) divergence predicted by LEFM. These results show how LEFM breaks down as the crack tip is approached.