Dynamic damage growth in particle reinforced graded materials

A scheme for preparing materials with continuous-graded properties using polyester resin and cenospheres is presented. The elastic and fracture property profiles of these materials are characterized and the results are discussed. Crack-tip stress, strain and displacement fields for a transient crack propagating along the direction of property gradation in functionally graded materials are obtained through an asymptotic analysis coupled with a displacement potential approach. The influence of the transient nature of crack-tip on contours of constant maximum shear stress, constant first stress invariant and constant in-plane displacements is discussed. Results of initial experimental investigations carried out using dynamic photoelasticity in conjunction with high-speed photography to characterize the behavior of a propagating crack in functionally graded materials are presented.