Modeling of cohesive fracture interacting with a stationary capillary fluid

Abstract

Understanding cohesive fracture interacting with a stationary capillary fluid is essential for fracture mechanics based analysis and design of many quasibrittle structures in contact with fluids. In this study, an equivalent linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) model is used to determine the equilibrium state for a cohesive crack partially filled with a capillary fluid. The model is shown to deliver predictions similar to the cohesive zone model (CZM) at a much lower computational cost. The equivalent LEFM model is applied to determine the instantaneous failure pressure of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipes as well as the wetting zone size for modeling the stress corrosion cracking of HDPE pipes.