Thermal noise and the branching threshold in brittle fracture

Authors
Sander, LM Ghaisas, SV
Citation
Lm. Sander et Sv. Ghaisas, Thermal noise and the branching threshold in brittle fracture, PHYS REV L, 83(10), 1999, pp. 1994-1997
Citations number
20
Categorie Soggetti
Physics
Journal title
PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS
ISSN journal
00319007 → ACNP
Volume
83
Issue
10
Year of publication
1999
Pages
1994 - 1997
Database
ISI
SICI code
0031-9007(19990906)83:10<1994:TNATBT>2.0.ZU;2-V
Abstract
Many studies have confirmed that cracks in brittle materials branch when th e crack speed exceeds a certain threshold, upsilon(c), but the value of tha t threshold is not understood. Almost all theoretical calculations overesti mate upsilon(c) by factors of 2 or more. We show that thermal noise can red uce the threshold by a substantial amount, and we propose that this effect can account for the discrepancy.