EFFECTS OF CRACK TIP STRESS RELAXATION ON SUBCRITICAL CRACK GROWTH IN SILICATE GLASSES: THRESHOLD AND STOCHASTICITY

Silicate glass is a non-equilibrium material and as such evolves over time to reduce internal energy through thermally activated structural rearrangement. This statement is perhaps especially true in the highly stressed region around a crack tip. At the atomistic scale, structural changes to accommodate crack growth or to mediate stress relaxation become indistinguishable. Here, we present a simple expression for static fatigue threshold using slow crack growth power law parameters and a structural relaxation time scale. Using subcritical crack growth data from the literature and measured threshold data, this model is demonstrated for soda lime silicate glass. In addition, we discuss the impact of crack tip relaxation on statistical lifetime prediction and evolution of flaw populations.
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