The Open Mechanical Engineering Journal

2012, 6 : 83-89
Published online 2012 May 4. DOI: 10.2174/1874155X01206010083
Publisher ID: TOMEJ-6-83

Experimental Evaluation of the Plastic Zone at Crack Tip by Caustics

B. G. Badalouka and G. A. Papadopoulos
Department of Engineering Science, Section of Mechanics, National Technical University of Athens, GR-157 73, Zografou Campus, Athens, Greece.

ABSTRACT

The study of this paper was to determine the plastic zone dimension at the crack tip by the experimental method of caustics. The caustics shape at the crack tip depends on plastic zone which is small for brittle materials and large for ductile ones. The plastic zone dimensions depends on the crack length, the plates thickness and the loading level. The experimental method of caustics is an excellent tool for the plasticity and stress intensity factors evaluation of loaded cracked structures.

Keywords:

Cracks, caustics, stress intensity factors.