Complete Block Shear Fracture Failure Finite Element Analysis

The experimental and finite element (FE) analyses of the block shear fracture failure in the published literature are limited to the analysis of the fracture on the surface of the gusset plates and connected members without the analysis of the through-thickness fracture in block shear fracture failure. This paper presents the FE analysis of the complete block shear fracture failure covering the analyses of the block shear surface and through-thickness fracture failure. This study reveals the following: The block shear fracture initiation occurs at the tensile plane mid-thickness and not on the tensile plane surface reported in the published literature. The tension plane through-thickness fracture propagation involves mid-thickness-to-surface fracture propagation and not the surface-to-mid-thickness fracture propagation reported in the published literature. The pure shear fracture that is parallel to the tensile loading direction exhibits a surface-to-mid-thickness fracture sequence while the shear lip fracture that is inclined to the tensile loading direction exhibits a mid-thickness-to-surface fracture propagation. This paper thus identifies the accurate fracture initiation location and through-thickness fracture propagation sequence in block shear fracture essential for the accurate and complete analysis of the block shear fracture not hitherto presented in any published literature.