Fracture analysis of inhomogeneous arch with two longitudinal cracks under non-linear creep

In this paper, fracture analysis of a continuously inhomogeneous arch structure with two longitudinal cracks is developed in terms of the time-dependent strain energy release rate. The arch under consideration exhibits non-linear creep behavior. The cross-section of the arch is a rectangle. The material is continuously inhomogeneous along the thickness of the cross-section. The arch is loaded by two bending moments applied at its end sections. The mechanical behavior of the material is described by using a non-linear stress-strain-time relationship. The two longitudinal cracks are located symmetrically with respect to the mid-span of the arch. Due to the symmetry, only half of the arch is considered. Time-dependent solutions to strain energy release rate are obtained by analyzing the balance of the energy. For verification, time-dependent solutions to the strain energy release rate are derived also by considering the time-dependent complementary strain energy. The evolution of the strain energy release rate with the time is analyzed. The effects of material inhomogeneity, locations of the two cracks along the thickness of the arch and the magnitude of the external loading on the time-dependent strain energy release rate are evaluated.