Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics最新文献

{"title":"Influence of stress dwell location on the creep–fatigue behavior of notched nickel-based single-crystal superalloy specimens at 900 °C","authors":"Jundong Wang ,&nbsp;Xiaolei Gu ,&nbsp;Xiangqian Xu ,&nbsp;Zhixun Wen ,&nbsp;Zhufeng Yue","doi":"10.1016/j.tafmec.2026.105469","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tafmec.2026.105469","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Nickel-based single-crystal superalloys are widely employed in critical hot-section components of aero-engines and industrial gas turbines. In this study, high-temperature creep-fatigue interaction tests were conducted on notched specimens of a nickel-based single-crystal superalloy under different stress dwell locations, including baseline cycling without dwell (baseline), dwell at maximum stress (“max dwell”), and dwell at minimum stress (“min dwell”). The results demonstrate that the stress dwell location exerts a pronounced influence on the fatigue life and failure modes of notched specimens. Specifically, under baseline cycling and min dwell conditions, failure is dominated by the initiation and propagation of surface-initiated fatigue cracks. In contrast, under max dwell conditions, the fracture surfaces exhibit a mixed morphology characterized by the coexistence of quasi-cleavage facets and dimpled microvoid coalescence. A damage-coupled viscoplastic constitutive model was employed to simulate the cyclic response of notched specimens under different dwell conditions by finite element analysis, and the predictions indicate that the model can reasonably reproduce the crack initiation and evolution behavior over a range of stress dwell locations. On this basis, the classical Basquin fatigue life model was modified by incorporating stress triaxiality and damage evolution metrics, thereby establishing a life prediction methodology applicable to high-temperature notched creep-fatigue interaction, which captures the observed trends in life degradation with satisfactory accuracy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":22879,"journal":{"name":"Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics","volume":"143 ","pages":"Article 105469"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146078524","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mechanical behavior and fracture evolution of ice-filled fissured red sandstone under coupled temperature-inclination effects","authors":"Zhen Wang ,&nbsp;Zilong Zhou ,&nbsp;Dong Wang ,&nbsp;Jun Hou ,&nbsp;Jiaming Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.tafmec.2026.105507","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tafmec.2026.105507","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Ice-filled fissures are widely developed in rock masses in cold regions, and their dynamic mechanical behavior directly affects the stability and safety of engineering rock structures. This paper systematically investigates the mechanical response and fracture evolution characteristics of red sandstone with ice-filled fissures under dynamic impact loading using a split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) experimental system combined with high-speed photography and digital image correlation (DIC) technology, while controlling the inclination angle of ice-filled fissures, temperature, and impact velocity. Results show that the dynamic peak strength and energy dissipation vary non-monotonically with fissure inclination angle, reaching their lowest values at 60° (approximately 47.15% lower than that of 0° inclination at −30 °C). Temperature influences the mechanical behavior differently across inclination angles: specimens with 0° and 90° fissures exhibit the highest strength at −30 °C (123 MPa and 117 MPa, respectively), while those with 30° and 60° fissures reach peak strength at −40 °C (85 MPa and 78 MPa, respectively). With increasing impact velocity, the peak stress of all specimen types rises significantly. Quantitative DIC strain field analysis indicates that specimens with 0° and 90° fissures primarily undergo tensile failure, whereas those with 30° and 60° fissures exhibit tensile–shear composite failure, with the most pronounced strain localization and unstable crack propagation observed at 60° inclination. Finally, the study reveals the strengthening–damage competition mechanism in specimens under dynamic loading from the perspectives of stress wave propagation and micro-damage evolution, providing experimental and theoretical support for safety control in rock engineering in cold regions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":22879,"journal":{"name":"Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics","volume":"143 ","pages":"Article 105507"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146173903","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A review on the fracture of brittle and quasi-brittle materials using semi-circular bend (SCB) tests","authors":"Mahinda Kuruppu ,&nbsp;Majid R. Ayatollahi ,&nbsp;Ken P. Chong","doi":"10.1016/j.tafmec.2026.105501","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tafmec.2026.105501","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The semi-circular bend (SCB) specimen was originally suggested and developed for testing mode I fracture toughness of rock and other brittle or quasi-brittle materials. Since its introduction, the SCB test has been improved and extended for many other applications. Among them were its suitability for testing mixed mode I and II fracture that has a great deal of practical significance, its adaptability for testing dynamic fracture properties of materials and its applicability to testing a wide variety of materials including asphalt concrete mixes, polymer, nano and bio composites, additively manufactured and smart materials. Recent research findings on the use of appropriate loading and support pins, and the development of the methods to address the specimen size dependence of fracture toughness have enhanced the accuracy of test results. Methods of correction suggested by a number of researchers which enable one to determine a scale independent Mode I fracture toughness using the experimental results are discussed. Following the development of ISRM suggested method for fracture toughness determination of rock materials using the SCB specimen in 2014, four other standards including ASTM to determine the fracture toughness and other related properties of asphalt concrete were developed and their advantages and limitations are discussed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":22879,"journal":{"name":"Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics","volume":"143 ","pages":"Article 105501"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146161461","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Shear capacity of reinforced recycled aggregate concrete: Roles of fracture-surface roughness and matrix strength","authors":"Sourav Chakraborty ,&nbsp;Kolluru V.L. Subramaniam","doi":"10.1016/j.tafmec.2026.105498","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tafmec.2026.105498","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Recycled coarse aggregate (RCA) has gained popularity as a sustainable alternative to natural aggregate (NA) in concrete. However, for RCA to be widely adopted in structural applications, it is crucial to develop a thorough understanding of its behavior under various loading conditions. In particular, attention must be paid to the mechanisms governing failure and to the capacity of recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) under brittle failure modes. Two critical scenarios in this context are mode-I fracture, which is associated with tensile cracking, and flexure-shear loading conditions, which often dictate the ultimate strength and serviceability of reinforced concrete members. This paper investigates cracking under mode-I fracture and failure under flexure-shear loading in RAC for two different concrete matrix strengths. While RAC exhibited lower mechanical strengths than natural aggregate concrete (NAC), the 3D mapping of crack profiles revealed that shear performance is dictated by crack morphology. Increasing the matrix strength produces rougher crack surfaces in RAC, enhancing stress transfer. The progression of flexure-shear cracks is analyzed using digital image correlation (DIC). The failure is identified with a loss of shear stress transfer across the primary shear crack. Tensile strength (<em>f</em>_t), represented by the square root of compressive strength, does not capture the observed variation in the shear capacity in RAC. This study demonstrates that the reduced crack roughness in RCA results in an overall reduction in flexure-shear capacity in lower-strength mixes, while increased roughness offsets reduced tensile strength in higher-strength RAC. Consequently, compressive-strength-based conventional design criteria provide an inconsistent margin of safety because crack roughness is not accounted for. Design equations for consistent safety need to consider surface roughness as an input variable.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":22879,"journal":{"name":"Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics","volume":"143 ","pages":"Article 105498"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146189092","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Coupled effects of brittleness and fracture geometry on the damage evolution and mechanical degradation of sandstone","authors":"Dejun Liu ,&nbsp;Hai Pu ,&nbsp;Xiaoding Xu ,&nbsp;Yunhui Fan ,&nbsp;Kangsheng Xue ,&nbsp;LuluLiu ,&nbsp;Hao Zhang ,&nbsp;Qingyu Yi","doi":"10.1016/j.tafmec.2026.105480","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tafmec.2026.105480","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding the coupled influence of material brittleness and fracture geometry on the mechanical degradation and failure behavior of fractured rock is critical for assessing instability in deep underground engineering. In this study, sandstone specimens with two distinct levels of brittleness were prepared with prefabricated fractures characterized by varying inclination angles and rock-bridge angles. A multiscale experimental framework integrating AE-DIC monitoring was employed to systematically investigate damage evolution and fracture mechanisms. To quantitatively characterize mechanical weakening, strength-degradation and elastic-modulus-degradation indices were proposed. The results show that prefabricated fractures significantly reduce the peak strength of sandstone. Increasing the fracture inclination angle leads to higher peak strength, whereas increasing the rock-bridge angle results in a non-monotonic decrease–increase trend. High-brittleness sandstone exhibits larger fluctuations in strength and stiffness under geometric disturbance, indicating stronger sensitivity to fracture-induced heterogeneity. AE-DIC results demonstrate that fracture inclination primarily controls the orientation and intensity of strain localization, while the rock-bridge angle governs the complexity of crack coalescence. High-brittleness specimens develop more concentrated and rapidly evolving strain localization bands, ultimately leading to abrupt mixed tensile–shear failure. Higher brittleness accelerates damage accumulation and promotes shear-dominated microcrack activity, particularly under high fracture inclination and large rock-bridge angles. In contrast, low-brittleness sandstone is characterized by a higher proportion of tensile microcracks and smoother b-value evolution, reflecting more progressive damage development. The degradation indices further reveal that strength deterioration is more pronounced in high-brittleness sandstone, whereas elastic modulus degradation shows greater sensitivity to brittleness reduction in low-brittleness sandstone. Overall, the findings highlight a coupled degradation mechanism in which fracture geometry controls the spatial evolution of damage, while material brittleness governs the rate and severity of mechanical degradation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":22879,"journal":{"name":"Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics","volume":"143 ","pages":"Article 105480"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146189015","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"From stiffness degradation to fatigue life prediction: A nonlinear dynamic signature-based framework for asphalt mixtures","authors":"Weimin Song","doi":"10.1016/j.tafmec.2026.105495","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tafmec.2026.105495","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Fatigue cracking in asphalt pavements stems from the complex, nonlinear accumulation of damage, a process further complicated by the use of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) and fiber reinforcements. Traditional fatigue characterization, focusing on macroscopic endpoints, failing to capture the intrinsic dynamic patterns of damage evolution. This study proposes a paradigm shift by conceptualizing fatigue damage accumulation as a nonlinear dynamical system. From stiffness degradation time series, this investigation developed a novel framework that extracts dynamic signatures, including approximate entropy (ApEn), the maximum Lyapunov exponent (λ), and damage rate fluctuation (DRF). These signatures quantitatively describe the complexity, predictability, and stability of the damage process itself. Applying this framework to four types of asphalt mixtures with different contents of RAP and glass fiber tested under direct tension reveals that: 1) incorporating 25% RAP enhances fatigue life by 130% and increases damage complexity (ApEn); 2) an optimal 0.1% glass fiber content maximizes fatigue life (a 214% increase over H-25R) by significantly stabilizing the damage process (lowest DRF); 3) fatigue life correlates strongly with these dynamic signatures. Crucially, a multilinear regression model integrating ApEn and DRF provides accurate fatigue life prediction, resolving the paradoxical roles of damage complexity (beneficial) and instability (detrimental). The framework moves beyond correlation by offering a quantitative, systems-based language to describe damage evolution, thereby providing a critical link between macroscopic performance and the underlying dynamical behavior of the material, and guiding future micromechanical investigations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":22879,"journal":{"name":"Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics","volume":"143 ","pages":"Article 105495"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146189095","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mixed-mode(I/II) fracture behaviour and criterion-based analysis of banana fiber reinforced epoxy composites using asymmetric SCB specimens","authors":"L.C. Shashidhar ,&nbsp;Saravanabavan ,&nbsp;Rajeev Kumar Gupta ,&nbsp;S.C. Ramesh Kumar ,&nbsp;R. Vara Prasad Kaviti ,&nbsp;M.A. Umarfarooq ,&nbsp;Vinayak S. Uppin ,&nbsp;B.H. Maruthi Prashanth","doi":"10.1016/j.tafmec.2025.105433","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tafmec.2025.105433","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This work investigates the mixed-mode (I/II) fracture behaviour of banana fiber-reinforced epoxy composite using asymmetric semi-circular bend (ASCB) specimens. Laminates were fabricated via hand layup-assisted vacuum bag moulding, with banana fibers integrated into an epoxy matrix. Three-point bending tests were conducted on ASCB specimens (radius 60 mm, thickness 6 mm, and notch length 30 mm) under varying asymmetric support spans (40–40 mm to 40–20 mm) to transition from pure mode I to mixed-mode I/II loading. Results showed a non-monotonic mode I fracture toughness (K_I) trend (1.70 MPa.m^1/2 decreasing to 1.54 MPa.m^1/2, then increasing to 1.92 MPa.m^1/2) and rising mode II fracture toughness (K_II) (0.30 to 0.87 MPa.m^1/2) with increasing mode II contribution, attributed to fiber-matrix interactions.</div><div>Experimental results were compared with analytical predictions based on the Power Law, maximum tangential stress (MTS), generalised maximum tangential stress (GMTS), and maximum energy release rate (Gmax) criteria. The Power Law criterion underestimated fracture resistance failing to capture constraint effects and fiber-related toughening. Incorporation of T-stress in the MTS and GMTS models improved predictions, though both overestimated crack initiation angles. Among the compared criteria, Gmax provided the closest correlation with crack initiation angles (0° to −17.26°), highlighting its suitability for natural fiber composites. Overall, the findings reveal a strong dependence of mixed-mode fracture behaviour on fiber-matrix interaction mechanisms, confirming the suitability of energy-based criteria for accurately modelling the fracture response of anisotropic natural fiber composites.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":22879,"journal":{"name":"Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics","volume":"143 ","pages":"Article 105433"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145940248","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Numerical modeling of three-dimensional quasi-brittle fracture and machining-induced damage in orthotropic composites","authors":"Pawan Kumar ,&nbsp;Anil Meena ,&nbsp;Shantanu S. Mulay","doi":"10.1016/j.tafmec.2025.105415","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tafmec.2025.105415","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study examines three-dimensional (3D) orthogonal machining-induced fracture in carbon/epoxy composites using a continuum damage mechanics (CDM) model. The model, based on Hashin’s 3D failure theory with a linear softening law, is implemented as VUMAT subroutine in the explicit ABAQUS® framework to capture failure initiation and damage evolution. Validation against numerical benchmarks and experimental data — through lamina patch tests and predicted crack paths in both lamina and laminates — demonstrate the model robustness. It successfully reproduces crack nucleation, branching, arrest, and intra/interlaminar failures typical of composite fracture. Orthogonal machining simulations are conducted for lamina with varying fiber orientations and for laminates of different layups. Localized 3D stress analysis near the tool tip revealed the mechanisms driving subsurface fracture and 3D chip formation. In 0° plies, fracture is dominated by fiber compression and matrix crushing under longitudinal compression and in-plane shear, with minimal subsurface damage. At 45° and 90°, shearing and fiber–matrix debonding prevail under combined shear and transverse stresses, while 135° ply exhibits the most severe subsurface damage due to fiber bending and interfacial debonding. For laminates (symmetric, antisymmetric, unsymmetric, and cross-ply), fracture patterns are strongly orientation-dependent. Plies at 45°, 60°, and <span><math><mrow><mo>−</mo><mn>120</mn><mo>°</mo></mrow></math></span> promote the chip flow along the fiber directions, while the plies at <span><math><mrow><mo>−</mo><mn>45</mn><mo>°</mo></mrow></math></span> and 120° fracture perpendicular to the fibers due to fiber–rake interactions. Subsurface damage depends on the ply location, with the outer 45° and 60° plies showing the highest susceptibility. However, cross-ply laminates exhibit the least damage owing to favorable stress redistribution. This study thus successfully reveals the mechanics of 3D crack propagation in composites subjected to orthogonal machining that can also be extended to other loadings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":22879,"journal":{"name":"Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics","volume":"143 ","pages":"Article 105415"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145940285","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"BEM investigation of fracture characteristics in polyethylene terephthalate-modified self-compacting concrete after thermal exposure","authors":"Saber Fallah-Valukolaee,&nbsp;Ali Hasan-Ghasemi,&nbsp;Mahdi Nematzadeh","doi":"10.1016/j.tafmec.2026.105461","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tafmec.2026.105461","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Evaluating the performance of self-compacting concrete (SCC) at elevated temperatures significantly contributes to understanding the behavior of structures during fire. The inclusion of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) as a partial replacement of fine aggregates in SCC addresses environmental challenges while modifying the failure behavior. However, the failure performance and thermal response of self-compacting concrete (SCC) containing PET at elevated temperatures are still not fully understood. Understanding the changes in toughness, ductility, and fracture energy of this type of concrete at elevated temperatures is essential for the safe design of concrete structures. In this study, to assess the effect of shredded PET sheets as a partial replacement for natural fine aggregates, self-compacting concrete mixtures incorporating 0, 5, 10, and 15% PET by volume were produced, and their fracture behavior and ductility were investigated under unheated conditions and following thermal exposure at 200, 400, and 600 °C through three-point flexural loading applied to notched beam specimens. The results showed that the characteristic crack length as a ductility index (&lt;span&gt;&lt;math&gt;&lt;msubsup&gt;&lt;mi&gt;α&lt;/mi&gt;&lt;mo&gt;∞&lt;/mo&gt;&lt;mo&gt;∗&lt;/mo&gt;&lt;/msubsup&gt;&lt;/math&gt;&lt;/span&gt;), the fracture toughness (&lt;span&gt;&lt;math&gt;&lt;msub&gt;&lt;mi&gt;K&lt;/mi&gt;&lt;mi&gt;IC&lt;/mi&gt;&lt;/msub&gt;&lt;/math&gt;&lt;/span&gt;), the initial fracture energy (&lt;span&gt;&lt;math&gt;&lt;msub&gt;&lt;mi&gt;G&lt;/mi&gt;&lt;mi&gt;f&lt;/mi&gt;&lt;/msub&gt;&lt;/math&gt;&lt;/span&gt;), and the size independent fracture energy (&lt;span&gt;&lt;math&gt;&lt;msub&gt;&lt;mi&gt;G&lt;/mi&gt;&lt;mi&gt;F&lt;/mi&gt;&lt;/msub&gt;&lt;/math&gt;&lt;/span&gt;) decreased by approximately 7.5, 20, 22, and 27%, respectively, for the concrete specimens compared with the reference sample (without PET and without heating) as the PET replacement ratio increased to 15%. In addition, exposure of the specimens to 600 °C resulted in the greatest reduction in the investigated parameters compared with the other temperature levels. Analysis of the fracture parameters using the BEM method indicated that, in PET-free concrete and PET-containing concretes subjected to heating, the fracture energies and fracture toughness decreased by about 26 to 50% and 38 to 47%, respectively. Conversely, increasing the temperature within the range of 20 to 600 °C resulted in a reduction observed in both groups, with the difference that PET-containing concretes exhibited considerably more ductile behavior than PET-free concrete at high temperatures. Examination of the design criterion indicated that the fracture behavior of SCC becomes more consistent with linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) with a rise in temperature, such that the design criterion at higher temperatures, with greater initial notch depth, conforms to LEFM. Finally, based on the achieved results and the experimental variables, multivariable equations were created to predict PET fracture parameters containing self-compacting concrete exposed to high temperatures. Evaluating these models against the present experimental findings, as well as with ","PeriodicalId":22879,"journal":{"name":"Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics","volume":"143 ","pages":"Article 105461"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146189102","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Crack evolution in salt rock with a prefabricated flaw under uniaxial compression: Insights from coupled AE and DIC monitoring","authors":"Mingtian Zhang ,&nbsp;Jinyang Fan ,&nbsp;Mengying Luan ,&nbsp;Jie Chen ,&nbsp;Deyi Jiang ,&nbsp;Yifan Wang ,&nbsp;Dan Lu ,&nbsp;Zongze Li ,&nbsp;Daniel Nelias","doi":"10.1016/j.tafmec.2026.105449","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tafmec.2026.105449","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Salt rock is widely recognized as an ideal host medium for underground energy storage and radioactive-waste disposal. Nevertheless, the presence of fractures within salt cavern gas storage can markedly compromise the integrity of the surrounding rock mass. Focusing on the mechanisms of fracture evolution and mechanical response in salt rock, this study conducted uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) tests on cubic salt specimens containing prefabricated flaws at various inclinations. Acoustic Emission (AE) monitoring and Digital Image Correlation (DIC) were integrated to capture the damage development and crack evolution in real time. The results show that: (1) Flaw inclination exerts a significant effect on both the UCS and the crack-propagation path of salt rock, exhibiting a clear and reproducible angle effect. (2) DIC effectively captures orientation-dependent crack trajectories, revealing the geometric complexity of surface crack evolution during failure. (3) According to the RA-AF criterion, the tensile-event fraction ranks 90° &gt; 0° &gt; 45° &gt; 30° &gt; 60°, consistent with the DIC observations and energy-index analysis. (4) The fractal dimension <em>D</em> increases over time, indicating progressive network densification and multiscale damage amplification. (5) The spatiotemporal distribution of AE events exhibits a damage-localization trend consistent with the evolution of the DIC principal strain field, confirming the complementary capabilities of the two monitoring techniques. The results provide a solid experimental basis for the quantitative evaluation of inclination effects and for the stability assessment of salt cavern storage, offering practical guidance for cavern design and long-term performance appraisal.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":22879,"journal":{"name":"Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics","volume":"143 ","pages":"Article 105449"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145940361","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}