Abstract
We show that a length scale can be extracted from the spatial correlations of the “steep cliffs” that appear on a fracture surface. Above , the slope amplitudes are uncorrelated and the fracture surface is monoaffine. Below , long-range spatial correlations lead to a multifractal behavior of the surface, reminiscent of turbulent flows. Our results support a unifying conjecture for the geometry of fracture surfaces: for scales larger than , the surface is the trace left by an elastic line propagating in a random medium, while for scales smaller than , the highly correlated patterns on the surface result from the merging of interacting damage cavities.
- Received 28 December 2014
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.114.215501
© 2015 American Physical Society
Focus
Crack Patterns Resemble Fluid Turbulence
Published 29 May 2015
A statistical analysis of crack surfaces from three different materials reveals a deep connection with fluid turbulence and a potentially new approach to studying failed machine parts.
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