Crack tip asymptotic field and K-dominant region for anisotropic semi-circular bend specimen

Abstract This study reports the coefficients of the crack tip asymptotic field for the semi-circular bend (SCB) specimen made of anisotropic rocks when subjected to pure mode I loading. The finite element over-deterministic method is employed to determine the singular and higher order terms of the crack tip asymptotic field for a wide range of geometry and anisotropy parameters associated with the Mode I SCB test. These parameters are helpful when analysing the fracture path and failure mechanism of anisotropic rocks in cases where the process zone is large compared to the crack length. We also apply an energy-based criterion on the crack tip fields to evaluate the size of the K-dominant region as a function of geometry configuration and anisotropy. It is concluded that the ISRM-suggested size requirement for the SCB samples of rock can yield underestimated values of fracture toughness due to the constraints applied to the FPZ development.