Non-linear longitudinal fracture in a functionally graded beam

Longitudinal fracture in a functionally graded beam configuration was studied analytically with taking into account the non-linear behavior of the material. A cantilever beam with two longitudinal cracks located symmetrically with respect to the centroid was analyzed. The material was functionally graded along the beam width as well as along the beam length. The fracture was studied in terms of the strain energy release rate. The influence of material gradient, crack location along the beam width, crack length and material non-linearity on the fracture behavior was investigated. It was shown that the analytical solution derived is very useful for parametric analyses of the non-linear longitudinal fracture behavior. It was found that by using appropriate material gradients in width and length directions of the beam, the strain energy release rate can be reduced significantly. Thus, the results obtained in the present paper may be applied for optimization of functionally graded beam structure with respect to the longitudinal fracture performance.