Energy release rate for cracks in hydrogels undergoing finite deformations

The rupture of hydrogels and swellable elastomers involves large deformations, there exists a literature devoted to their experimental characterization including methods for measuring enhancing fracture toughness. Analytical investigations the have recognized importance deformations contributions liquid flow, but they largely been restricted plane-strain formulations that ignore through-thickness effects. In this paper, boundary–initial value problems cracked specimens are solved in three dimensions both permeable impermeable boundary conditions various rates loading. transient stress, strain chemical potential fields near crack tip/front found be notably different than asymptotic solutions linear poroelasticity deformation formulations. energy release rate is computed using poroelastic path-independent integral ( J ∗ ), generally also function flow. It shown moderately thin three-dimensional flow out-of-plane direction under boundaries in-plane boundaries; thus, makes larger latter. agreement with experiments, tends at higher loading due Finally, criteria growth based on critical stretch ahead adopted predict as solid volume fraction, possibility non-monotone dependence fraction uncovered. presented paper can utilized analyze wide variety applications soft tissues fibrous gels.