DYNAMIC ANALYSIS OF CRACKS IN MICROPOLAR ELASTIC-MATERIALS

Micropolar elasticity theory offers an advantage over classical elasticity theory in its ability to take into account the properties of the microstructure of a material within a continuum framework. In this investigation this theory was incorporated into a plane-strain finite element formulation to analyze the dynamic response of a crack. Two cases were considered: the first was a stationary crack subjected to a dynamic load; the second was a crack propagating at a constant velocity while under constant load. In both cases materials with strong micropolar properties were often found to have significantly lower dynamic energy release rates than their classical elastic material counterparts.