Fracture morphology of tensile cracks and rupture velocity

Desiccation cracks in starch-water mixtures are studied with respect to mor phological features, mainly plumose structures, on their faces. Specimens h ave diameters of 50-100 mm and thicknesses of 2-40 mm. Structures similar t o those on joints in rocks are found. Rupture velocities are measured from videos and estimated from photos. Rupture covers the range from spontaneous ly nucleating, dynamic cracks with velocities of 100-200 mm/s to quasi-stat ic cracks with velocities of 0.1 mm/s and less. Plumose lines give the rupt ure direction, and their relation to rupture velocity is similar to the rel ation between seismic rays and seismic wave velocity. A ray-tracing method from seismology is used to calculate plumose lines for depth-dependent rupt ure velocity. Moreover, an inverse method, based on finite difference trave l times and conjugate gradients, is developed to invert a set of measured p lumose directions into a rupture-velocity distribution which can also depen d on the horizontal coordinate on the rupture surface. The main results of this paper are as follows. (1) Plumose lines can successfully be inverted i nto relative rupture velocity. (2) In thin starch layers (thickness less th an 0.2 times diameter), rupture velocity decreases from top to bottom by a factor of 2-5, following a decrease of tensile stress due to the increase i n water concentration. (3) Horizontal variation of rupture velocity reflect s horizontal variation of stress, including stress relaxation due to the pr opagating crack, and ranges from dynamic to quasi-static velocities. (4) In thick starch layers (thickness about 0.5 times diameter), rupture is predo minantly quasi-static. (5) Starch cracks sometimes have a fringe zone where topographic amplitudes are higher and rupture velocities lower than on the main part of the crack; this probably also applies to joints in rocks and their fringe zones. (6) Starch-water mixtures at rupture have a Poisson rat io close to 0.5. Cracks in starch are closest to subsidence or diagenesis j oints in sedimentary rocks.