The purpose of this research is to study the temperature field around a rapidly propagating crack tip in metals. Because of the high rate effects occurring in rapidly propagating cracks, the classical Fourier heat conduction formulation is replaced by the so-called thermal wave theory, in which there is a finite propagation speed for heat conduction. The heat generation rate in the local area surrounding the moving crack tip is modelled by the rate of dynamic plastic work, using several different constitutive relations for the metal, each of which takes into account rate-sensitivity. Predictions based on this theory will be compared to available experimental results in order to establish whether it is important to utilize thermal wave theory to accurately predict crack propagation phenomena in metals, and to determine the appropriateness of the different constitutive relations employed in this study.
