Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 12, 2026

Crack Monitoring in Resonance Fatigue Testing of Welded Specimens Using Digital Image Correlation
Published on: September 29, 2019
Crack front dynamics: the interplay of singular geometry and crack instabilities
Itamar Kolvin1, Gil Cohen1, Jay Fineberg1
1The Racah Institute of Physics, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91000, Israel.
Abstract:
When fast cracks become unstable to microscopic branching (microbranching), fracture no longer occurs in an effective 2D medium. We follow in-plane crack front dynamics via real-time measurements in brittle gels as microbranching unfolds and progresses. We first show that spatially local energy balance quantitatively describes crack dynamics, even when translational invariance is badly broken. Furthermore, our results explain microbranch dynamics; why microbranches form along spatially localized chains and how finite-time formation of cusps along the crack front leads to their death.
Related Concept Videos
Microcracking in Concrete
Types of Non-structural Cracks in Concrete
Plastic shrinkage cracks typically form within hours after the concrete is poured. The concrete's surface dries faster than the bottom, creating tensile stress that the still-plastic concrete cannot withstand, leading to diagonal or randomly patterned cracks on the concrete surface.
Behavior of Concrete Under Compressive Load
As the concrete specimen fractures under...
Plastic Deformations of Members with a Single Plane of Symmetry
Imperfections in Crystal Structure: Point, Line and Plane Defects
Deformation of a Beam under Transverse Loading
The insights from the bending moment diagram extend to...

