An experimental analysis of crack terminating perpendicular to the bimaterial interface under varying mode mixities

SIFs for crack terminating perpendicular to the interface of a bimaterial subjected to varying mode mixities are evaluated with a novel bimaterial specimen using the experimental technique of photoelasticity. A simple form of multiparameter equation defining the stress field for the crack terminating at the interface at an arbitrary angle along with the details on interfacial SIF and combined SIF for a bimaterial problem are brought out. The stress field equation is incorporated in an in-house developed PSIF software as a separate problem module for the determination of crack tip stress field parameters using a non-linear least squares methodology. A compact bimaterial Brazilian disc specimen with crack in one of the material sides terminating perpen-dicular to the interface and at an arbitrary angle to the point of loading, is considered for the study. SIFs of two such specimens, a polymer-polymer pair, and a metal-polymer pair with two different bimaterial constants are determined. The normalized SIF values are evaluated as a function of crack orientation angles. The SIF values for the metal-polymer pair were found to be higher compared to the polymer-polymer interface. The peak values of SIFs are observed at a crack orientation angle of 30(degrees). At orientation angles close to 0(degrees) and 90(degrees), the SIF values were less pronounced.