Stress intensity factor equations for branched crack growth

Overload-induced fatigue crack branching is a well-known crack growth retardation or arrest mechanism, which can quantitatively explain such effects even when arguments based on plasticity induced crack closure cannot be applied, e.g. in high R-ratio or in plane strain controlled fatigue crack growth. However, the few results available for branched cracks cannot be used to predict the subsequent crack growth nor account for the delays observed...