Crackling dynamics in material failure as the signature of a self-organized dynamic phase transition

Daniel Bonamy (1) , Stéphane Santucci (2) , Laurent Ponson (1)

1 SPCSI - Service de Physique et de Chimie des Surfaces et Interfaces
2 Department of Physics [Oslo]

We derive here a linear elastic stochastic description for slow crack growth in heterogeneous materials. This approach succeeds in reproducing quantitatively the intermittent crackling dynamics observed recently during the slow propagation of a crack along a weak heterogeneous plane of a transparent Plexiglas block [Måløy {\it et al.}, PRL {\bf 96} 045501]. In this description, the quasi-static failure of heterogeneous media appears as a self-organized critical phase transition. As such, it exhibits universal and to some extent predictable scaling laws, analogue to that of other systems like for example magnetization noise in ferromagnets.

Domaines: Mécanique statistique [cond-mat.stat-mech]

Daniel Bonamy, Stéphane Santucci, Laurent Ponson. Crackling dynamics in material failure as the signature of a self-organized dynamic phase transition. Physical Review Letters, 2008, 101, pp.045501. ⟨10.1103/PhysRevLett.101.045501⟩. ⟨hal-00260014v2⟩