Influence of periodic change in the yield strength in a plate on the development of plastic zones near a crack tip

An experimental study of plastic deformation zones in the vicinity of stress concentrators found a deviation of the shapes of plastic zones at the crack tip from the shapes obtained using conventional models. Moreover, the systems of bands of slip lines observed in the experiment and predicted by linear fracture mechanics are significantly different. Mathematical modeling of the propagation of plastic zones based on a finite element numerical solution of the equations of deformable solid mechanics was performed with the framework of the theory of large elastoplastic deformations. The basis of the mathematical model is the hypothesis that the structural heterogeneity of the material has a substantial effect throughout the volume of the test sample on the formation of plastic bands. Nonuniformity of the yield strength of the material is specified as a checkerboard distribution and as a system of horizontal and vertical bands. The results of the numerical calculations are compared with the experimental data, and it is shown that they are in qualitative agreement.