Crack Patterns under Mechanical Loading

The fracture with the formation of crack patterns instead of a single main crack may occur in the structures for several reasons. The main factor is always the presence of high gradients through the depth of a structure at almost constant stresses near the surface. In this case a growing crack can get into the zone of low stresses and stop, and the fracture will continue by formation of new cracks. Such fracture type is typical for heat-stressed structures, but can also occur under mechanical loading. This paper discusses the possible mechanisms of the crack pattern formation. It is shown that in addition to the form of stress field, the fracture type depends on material properties - in particular, its creep. The considered fracture by crack pattern formation could be characteristic of not only the metallic structural elements, but also for the natural formations, for instance rock or ice massives.