Related papers: A possible link between brittle and ductile failur…
Cracks are created by massive breakage of molecular or atomic bonds. The latter, in its turn, leads to the highly localized loss of material, which is the reason why even closed cracks are visible by a naked eye. Thus, fracture can be…
Due to its computational robustness and versatility, the phase field fracture model has become the preferred tool for predicting a wide range of cracking phenomena. However, in its conventional form, its intrinsic tension-compression…
The scaling laws describing the roughness development of crack surfaces are incorporated into the Griffith criterion. We show that, in the case of a Family-Vicsek scaling, the energy balance leads to a purely elastic brittle behavior. On…
A shear band of finite length, formed inside a ductile material at a certain stage of a con- tinued homogeneous strain, provides a dynamic perturbation to an incident wave field, which strongly influences the dynamics of the material and…
We present a gradient-based theoretical framework for predicting hydrogen assisted fracture in elastic-plastic solids. The novelty of the model lies in the combination of: (i) stress-assisted diffusion of solute species, (ii) strain…
Molecular-dynamics simulations of fracture in metallic glass-like systems are observed to undergo embrittlement due to a small change in interatomic potential. This change in fracture toughness, however, is not accompanied by a…
When fast cracks become unstable to microscopic branching (micro-branching), fracture no longer occurs in an effective 2D medium. We follow in-plane crack front dynamics via real-time measurements in brittle gels as micro-branching unfolds…
Widespread processes in nature and technology are governed by the dynamical transition whereby a material in an initially solid-like state then yields plastically. Major unresolved questions concern whether any material will yield smoothly…
We propose a theoretical model for branching instabilities in 2-dimensional fracture, offering predictions for when crack branching occurs, how multiple cracks develop, and what is the geometry of multiple branches. The model is based on…
We argue that nucleation of brittle cracks in initially flawless soft elastic solids is preceded by a nonlinear elastic instability, which cannot be captured without accounting for geometrical precise description of finite elastic…
This paper introduces a three-dimensional (3-D) mathematical and computational framework for the characterization of crack-tip fields in star-shaped cracks within porous elastic solids. A core emphasis of this model is its direct…
The temporal evolution of mechanical energy and spatially-averaged crack speed are both monitored in slowly fracturing artificial rocks. Both signals display an irregular burst-like dynamics, with power-law distributed fluctuations spanning…
We investigate experimentally and theoretically the dynamics of a crack front during the micro-instabilities taking place in heterogeneous materials between two successive equilibrium positions. We focus specifically on the spatio-temporal…
Damage gradient models approximate fracture mechanics using a modulation of the material stiffness. To this aim a single scalar field, the damage, is used to degrade as a whole the elastic energy. If applied to the structural models of…
We model the progressive maturation of a heterogeneous mass towards a gravity-driven instability, characterized by the competition between frictional sliding and tension cracking, using array of slider blocks on an inclined basal surface,…
We introduce a model where an isotropic, dynamically-imposed stress induces fracture in a thin film. Using molecular dynamics simulations, we study how the integrated fragment distribution function depends on the rate of change and…
Applying constant tensile stress to a piece of amorphous solid results in a slow extension, followed by an eventual rapid mechanical collapse. This "creep" process is of paramount engineering concern, and as such was the subject of study in…
Crack initiation and propagation are fundamental problems in materials science, often leading to catastrophic failure. While fracture in elastic solids occurs instantaneously above a critical load, viscoelastic materials may sustain high…
Fractures are a critical process in how materials wear, weaken, and fail whose unpredictable behavior can have dire consequences. While the behavior of smooth cracks in ideal materials is well understood, it is assumed that for real,…
Predicting when rupture occurs or cracks progress is a major challenge in numerous elds of industrial, societal and geophysical importance. It remains largely unsolved: Stress enhancement at cracks and defects, indeed, makes the macroscale…