Crack-inclusion interaction in a quasicrystal medium with nonlocal effect

Quasicrystal (QC) materials are a type of innovative materials with long-range quasiperiodic translational symmetry and amorphous rotational symmetry. During the manufacturing process, various defects inevitably occur in QC materials. Therefore, studying the interaction between multiple defects and central cracks in QC materials can help reveal the fracture characteristics of defective materials. This study explores the interaction between a crack and a symmetricalshaped inclusion in a QC medium with the nonlocal effect under the remote stress. Based on the transformation toughening and Eshelby's inclusion theories, we propose formulas for calculating the stress intensity factor caused by inclusions near the crack tip in QC materials. The finite element method is applied to verify these formulas where a crack occurs near a circular inclusion. The comprehensive numerical results show the remarkable shielding or amplification effect of inclusions on the crack tips in the QC matrix. In addition, the boundary conditions, size and shape of the inclusions, and the nonlocal effect all influence the stress intensity factor and J -integral. This study provides a reference for the design and evaluation of the QC composites with crack-inclusion interactions.