Statistical mechanical model for crack growth
Analytic relations that describe crack growth are vital for modeling experiments and building a theoretical understanding of fracture. Upon constructing an idealized model system for the crack and applying the principles of statistical thermodynamics, it is possible to formulate the rate of thermally activated crack growth as a function of load, but the result is analytically intractable. Here, an asymptotically correct theory is used to obtain analytic approximations of the crack growth rate from the fundamental theoretical formulation. These crack growth rate relations are compared to those that exist in the literature and are validated with respect to Monte Carlo calculations and experiments. The success of this approach is encouraging for future modeling endeavors that might consider more complicated fracture mechanisms, such as inhomogeneity or a reactive environment.