The state-of-art in studies on brittle crack arrest in steel

Abstract

Brittle crack propagation and arrest behavior in steel plates has been studied to prevent catastrophic failures in large steel structures. Despite a long history of research, this behavior remains complex and is challenging to fully understand due to its instantaneous nature and sensitivity to multiple influencing factors. Over the past two decades, advancements in numerical and experimental studies have greatly enhanced our understanding of crack propagation, with serval studies on crack arrest control contributing to improved structural integrity. For insight of future direction of brittle crack arrest studies, this review comprehensively introduces full-length articles on brittle crack propagation and arrest, focusing on test methods, including correlations between small and large specimen testing, as well as numerical, experimental, and theoretical approaches. In particular, the review emphasizes the local approach focused on a crack tip stress field, considering a promising method for explaining brittle crack propagation and arrest behavior. Additionally, this manuscript reviewed material and structural designs for brittle crack arrest, providing insights into methods for controlling brittle crack propagation in actual steel structures.