T-stress effects in mixed mode I/II/III brittle fracture

•Generalized maximum tangential stress criterion is extended to mixed mode I/II/III.•T-stress effects on fracture parameters are explored for mixed modes I/III and II/III.•Effect of T-stress in pure mode III fracture is lower than in pure mode II fracture.•The results of extended criterion are dependent on the value of Poisson’s ratio.

The generalized maximum tangential stress (GMTS) criterion proposed in the past for brittle fracture under mixed mode I/II loading is extended to mixed mode I/II/III. The theoretical predictions of the extended criterion were validated by some experimental results reported in literature but only for in-plane loading. Then, the effects of T-stress on the fracture resistance and also on the in-plane and out-of-plane fracture angles are explored in mixed modes I/III and II/III. It is shown that the results of extended criterion depend on the T-stress, the Poisson’s ratio and also on whether the crack problem is plane stress or plane strain. Despite the considerable influence of T-stress on the fracture behavior in pure mode III, its effect is lower than that of pure mode II.