A team around Markus Alfreider and Michael Meindlhumer has succeeded in publishing their latest work on the fundamentals of the J-integral in the renowned journal Communications Materials of the Nature Publishing Group. The publication “Resolving the Fundamentals of the J-integral Concept by Multi-Method in situ Nanoscale Stress-Strain Mapping” was enabled by combining two in situ bending beam experiments, one in the scanning electron microscope and the other at the ID13 Nanofocus Beamline of the European Synchrotron. This allowed the strain and stress tensor to be resolved locally in front of a crack tip on the same geometry for the first time, and the J-integral to be evaluated in its original integral form. The fundamental findings verify for the first time fundamental assumptions of modern fracture mechanics concepts and at the same time show some limitations. These first-time insights will have a significant impact on the design of modern, technologically relevant, heterogeneous, miniaturized components (e.g. in microelectronics).
Permanent link to the work: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s43246-025-00752-z
