Maximum tangential strain energy density criterion for general mixed mode I/II/III brittle fracture

The maximum tangential strain energy density criterion presented in the past for damage analysis of brittle materials under mixed mode I/II loading is extended to general mixed mode I/II/III in order to estimate the in-plane and out-of-plane fracture angles as well as the fracture load. The extended criterion is validated in all mixed modes I/II, I/III, II/III and I/II/III for both fracture angles and fracture loads using the experimental results reported in the literature. Good agreement is found between the results predicted by the extended maximum tangential strain energy density criterion and the experimental results. The theoretical results are also compared with those of the maximum principal stress criterion.