DAMAGE ZONES BASED ON DUGDALE MODEL FOR MATERIALS

In this paper, an infinite sheet with a crack is studied using continu um damage mechanics technique. The formulation is based on the hypothe sis of incremental complementary energy equivalence model for damage e valuation. Damage distributions in the region of a macrocrack tip are calculated for an elastic-perfectly plastic material. The size of the damage zone is also derived via the Dugdale model with damage which co nsiders the interactions between the macrocracks and microcracks. To a ssess the results, comparisons are made between proposed damage model, Dugdale plastic model and finite element solutions. Good agreement is observed.