K_I Criteria of Surface Check under Stepwise Loadings of Drying Stresses

Finite element method was utilized to analyze crack tip stress and displacement field under drying stress case as stepwise loading. Opening mode of single-edge-notched model was employed and analyzed by linear elastic fracture mechanics of plane stress case. The drying stresses were applied as stepwise loads at the boundary elements of the model with 10 steps of time serial. The stress intensity factor($K_I$) for opening mode reached to its maximum just prior to the stress reversal. The $K_I$ from the displacement fields revealed 1.7 times higher than those from stress fields. By comparing the two sets of $K_I$ from displacement and stress fields, single parameter $K_I$ showed its validity to characterize displacement fields around the crack tip front while stress field could not be characterized due to large variations between two sets of data.