Development of a brittle fracture criterion for prediction of crack propagation path under general mixed mode loading

•A new brittle fracture criterion is proposed for triaxial mixed mode loading.•A material-dependent effective stress is defined as a main fracture parameter.•The proposed criterion considers material properties in crack growth direction.•The ratios of shear strength to tensile one in various materials are considered.

To predict the crack propagation trajectory under general mixed mode loading, a novel criterion has been developed. For this purpose, the material-dependent effective stress proposed in the maximum effective stress criterion based on involving all effective components in crack extension under mixed mode I/II, has been developed for mixed mode I/II/III. The effects of the ratio of fracture toughness in mode III to that of mode I (KIIIC/KIC) on the crack growth have been considered by using a new material parameter. The predicted results of developed criterion in different mixed mode conditions show good agreement with the available experimental ones.