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A lattice model is presented for investigating the fluctuations in static granular materials under gravitationally induced stress. The model is similar in spirit to the scalar q-model of Coppersmith et al., but ensures balance of all…
In this study, we propose a laboratory-scale methodology, based on X-ray micro-tomography and caesium (Cs) as a contrast agent, to advance the understanding of cracking due to alkali-silica reaction (ASR) in concrete. The methodology allows…
We have recently developed some simple continuum models of static granular media which display "fragile" behaviour: they predict that the medium is unable to support certain types of infinitesimal load (which we call "incompatible" loads)…
We investigate the approach to catastrophic failure in a model porous granular material undergoing uniaxial compression. A discrete element computational model is used to simulate both the micro-structure of the material and the complex…
We consider a two dimensional lattice model to describe the opening of a crack in hydraulic fracturing. In particular we consider that the material only breaks under tension and the fluid has no pressure drop inside the crack. For the case…
Architected materials that exploit buckling instabilities to reversibly trap energy have been shown to be effective for impact protection. The energy-absorbing capabilities of these architected materials can be enhanced further by…
This study investigated, experimentally and numerically, the fracturing behavior of thermoset polymer structures featuring cracks and sharp u-notches. It is shown that, even for cases in which the sharpness of the notch would suggest…
Fracture is the ultimate source of failure of amorphous carbon (a-C) films, however it is challenging to measure fracture properties of a-C from nano-indentation tests and results of reported experiments are not consistent. Here, we use…
A simple micromechanical model of polycrystalline materials is proposed, which enables us to swiftly produce grain-boundary-stress distributions induced by the uniform external loading (in the elastic strain regime). Such statistical…
Polymer composite materials are widely used for their exceptional mechanical properties, notably their ability to resist large deformations. Here we examine the failure stress and strain of rubbers reinforced by varying amounts of…
The way granular materials response to an applied shear stress is of the utmost relevance to both human activities and natural environment. One of the their most intriguing and less understood behavior, is the stick-instability, whose most…
Collagen is a key structural protein in the human body, which undergoes mineralization during the formation of hard tissues. Earlier studies have described the mechanical behavior of bone at different scales highlighting material features…
We present a phase field model (PFM) for simulating complex crack patterns including crack propagation, branching and coalescence in rock. The phase field model is implemented in COMSOL and is based on the strain decomposition for the…
Understanding failure in nanomaterials is critical for the design of reliable structural materials and small-scale devices that have components or microstructural elements at the nanometer length scale. No consensus exists on the effect of…
We study experimentally the slow growth of a single crack in a fibrous material and observe stepwise growth dynamics. We model the material as a lattice where the crack is pinned by elastic traps and grows due to thermally activated stress…
The present paper aims at analytically evaluating the natural frequencies of cracked slender masonry elements. The problem is dealt with in the framework of linear perturbation, and the small oscillations of the structure are studied under…
Fracture toughness $K_{IC}$ plays an important role in materials design. Along with numerous experimental methods to measure fracture toughness of materials, its understanding and theoretical prediction is very important. However,…
We study experimentally the fracture mechanisms of a model cohesive granular medium consisting of glass beads held together by solidified polymer bridges. The elastic response of this material can be controlled by changing the cross-linking…
Brittle fracturing of materials is common in natural and industrial processes over a variety of length scales. Knowledge of individual particle dynamics is vital to obtain deeper insight into the atomistic processes governing crack…
A physically-informed continuum crystal plasticity model is presented to elucidate the deformation mechanisms and dislocation evolution in body-centered-cubic (bcc) tantalum widely used as a key structural material for mechanical and…