Experimental and numerical study of sub-critical crack growth in Meuse/Haute-Marne argillite

The evolution of crack growth velocity v vs. stress intensity factor K in Meuse/Haute-Marne argillite is experimentally investigated at different relative humidities. A new algorithm based on finite elements simulations aimed to process the measured data is proposed and allows the calculation of the v(K) curves. It is observed that the crack velocity and the stress intensity factor respectively increases and decreases as the relative humidity increases.

► The evolution of crack growth in Meuse/Haute-Marne argillite has been experimentally investigated.
► The tests were carried out at different relative humidities.
► A new algorithm based on numerical simulations has been developed to process the experimental data.
► It is observed that the crack velocity increases when the relative humidity increases.
► It is observed that the stress intensity factor decreases when the relative humidity increases.