On the application of the damage work density as a new initiation criterion for ductile fracture

In this paper the ‘damage work’ proposed by Chaouadi et al. is used to formulate an energy crack initiation criterion to describe ductile crack initiation. The traditional assessment of structural integrity by the J-integral, a property of elastic–plastic fracture mechanics is compared. Two free-cutting and one structural steel are investigated. The measured values for the critical damage work density at initiation Wdi are compared with values for copper and RPV steel. As the fracture mechanical approach is limited to sharp cracks in the material (high-constraint stress state) the present damage mechanics approach is regarded as important as a more general concept closer to reality. While old void growth models of damage mechanics cannot formulate a simple criterion for crack initiation the applied damage work reaches a constant value at initiation Wdi which is independent of the stress state during the deformation process. We recommend Wdi as a material property of toughness for testing and engineering purposes.