#Plasticity #fracture

Dear iMechanicians,

I hope that the following paper is of interest to you. We use for the first time Gurtin (2004) gradient plasticity theory to investigate crack tip mechanics, revealing the existence of an elastic core adjacent to the crack tip, resembling a dislocation-free zone. Also, we show that the combination of strain gradient hardening and dislocation blockage can rationalise brittle fracture in elastic-plastic material interfaces.