Work

Damage Scaling Laws at Crack Tip in Disordered Materials

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: We investigate the damage mechanisms governing crack propagation in disordered solids using random lattice models. Our simulations reveal two successive damage scaling laws at the crack tip, characterized by the coefficient of variation of the critical damage density. Close to the crack tip, the scaling exponent is ∼-0.5, transitioning to ∼-0.25 at larger distances. This transition uncovers a crack-tip equiprobable damage zone (EDZ), whose size increases with material disorder. Within the EDZ, damage exhibits statistical uniformity and the critical damage density is well approximated by a binomial distribution, reflecting the intrinsic stochasticity of fracture in disordered materials. These findings provide new physical insights into crack-tip damage and demonstrate how material disorder regulates crack propagation.

Source: Physical Review Letters

DOI: 10.1103/crl6-wnfk

Authors: Wenbin Liu, Huiling Duan, Jian Lu

Institutions: City University of Hong Kong, Peking University, City University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen Research Institute

Language: English

Topic: Fatigue and fracture mechanics

Subfield: Mechanics of Materials

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Natural Science Foundation of China, National Key Research and Development Program of China, Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Program, Special Fund Project for Science and Technology Innovation Strategy of Guangdong Province

Awards: G2296640453, G3653706570, G5344446771, G5860384415