Related papers: Porosity governs failure in bioconsolidated space …

Bio-chemical reactions enable the production of biomimetic materials such as sandstones. In the present study, microbiologically-induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) is used to manufacture laboratory-scale specimens for fracture…

Fracture is a fundamental mechanism of materials failure. Propagating cracks can exhibit a rich dynamical behavior controlled by a subtle interplay between microscopic failure processes in the crack tip region and macroscopic elasticity. We…

Fracture behavior in architected materials can be influenced by heterogeneities, yet the mechanisms by which imperfections affect crack propagation remain poorly understood. In this study, we introduce well-controlled, localized defects in…

The prospect of establishing extra-terrestrial habitats using in situ resource utilization (ISRU) constitutes a long-term goal of multiple space agencies around the world. In this work, we investigate sintering as a potential route for…

While crack nucleation and propagation in the brittle or quasi-brittle regime can be predicted via variational or material-force-based phase field fracture models, these models often assume that the underlying elastic response of the…

Many stiff biological materials exhibiting outstanding compressive strength/weight ratio are characterized by high porosity, spanning different size-scales, typical examples being bone and wood. A successful bio-mimicking of these materials…

We present a computational framework to explore the effect of microstructure and constituent properties upon the fracture toughness of fibre-reinforced polymer composites. To capture microscopic matrix cracking and fibre-matrix debonding,…

Microbially induced calcite precipitation (MICP) is a new and sustainable technology which utilizes biochemical processes to create barriers by calcium carbonate cementation; therefore, this technology has a potential to be used for sealing…

With NASA's planned return to the moon and possibly with lunar outposts being formed, repeated landings at the same site will be necessary. Understanding rocket plume interaction with lunar and Martian surfaces is of paramount importance in…

We investigate the role of microstructural bridging on the fracture toughness of composite materials. To achieve this, a new computational framework is presented that integrates phase field fracture and cohesive zone models to simulate…

A particular failure mode of highly porous brittle materials consists in the propagation of cracks under uniaxial compressive loads. Such 'anticracks' have been observed in a range of materials, from snow and porous sandstone to brittle…

Soft or weakly-consolidated sand refers to porous materials composed of particles (or grains) weakly held together to form a solid but that can be easily broken when subjected to stress. These materials do not behave as conventional…

Analytical models have been developed for fracture propagation over the last several decades and are now considered with renewed interest; the range of their applicability varies for different materials and different loading conditions.…

Numerical simulations of concrete fracture performed with a probabilistic mesoscale discrete model are presented. The model represents a substantial part of material randomness by assigning random locations to the largest aggregates. The…

Several physical mechanisms are involved in excavating granular materials beneath a vertical jet of gas. These occur, for example, beneath the exhaust plume of a rocket landing on the soil of the Moon or Mars. A series of experiments and…

Stress distributions and the corresponding fracture patterns and evolutions in the microstructures strongly influence the load-carrying capabilities of composite structures. This work introduces an enhanced phase-field fracture model…

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…

Soil is a critical component of terrestrial ecosystems, directly influencing global biogeochemical cycles. Despite its importance, the complex architecture of soil pores and their impact on greenhouse gas emissions remain poorly understood.…

In this study, the crack propagation of the pre-cracked mono-crystal nickel with the voids and inclusions has been investigated by molecular dynamics simulations. Different sizes of voids, inclusions and materials of inclusions are used to…