The effects of dislocation configuration, crack blunting and free surfaces on the triggering load of dislocation sources in the vicinity of a crack or a wedge tip subjected to a tensile load in the far field are investigated. An appropriate triggering criterion for dislocation sources is proposed by considering the configurational forces acting on each dislocation. The triggering behaviors of dislocation sources near the tips of a crack and a wedge are compared. It is also found that the blunting of crack tip and the presence of free surfaces near the crack or the wedge have considerable influences on the triggering load of dislocation sources. This study might be of significance to gaining a deeper understanding of the brittle-to-ductile transition of materials.
