Moving line crack accompanied with damage zone subject to remote tensile loading

In the 1920s, a closed-form solution of the moving Griffith crack was first obtained by Yoffe. Based on Yoffe’s solution, the Dugdale model for the moving crack case gives a good result. However, the Dugdale model fails when the crack speed is closed to the Rayleigh wave speed because of the discontinuity occurred in the crack opening displacement (COD). The problem is solved in this paper by introducing a restraining stress zone ahead of the crack tip and two velocity functions. The restraining stresses are linearly distributed and related to the velocity of the moving crack. An analytical solution of the problem is obtained by use of the superposition principle and a complex function method. The final result of the COD is continuous while the crack moves at a Rayleigh wave speed. The characteristics of the strain energy density (SED) and numerical results are discussed, and conclusions are given.