Application of nonlocal criteria for destruction in problems with a nonuniform stress field

The dependence of the critical load on the degree of nonuniformity of the stress field is considered on the example of polymethylmethacrylate beams and plates with a round hole or a sharp notch. It is proposed to use nonlocal criteria for brittle fracture to describe the behavior of a nonuniformly stressed material. Among the criteria considered, the structural criterion is the most universal, because, in this case, the distance parameter d is least dependent on the test configuration. The distance parameters in problems with a regular concentrator are of the same order of magnitude, as in problems with a singular stress concentrator. A further modification of the criterion that takes into account the properties of the fracture process will probably make it possible to obtain a unique value for the length parameter for any degree of nonuniformity of the stress field.