Related papers: Crack trajectories in materials containing voids v…
Variational phase-field models of brittle fracture are powerful tools for studying Griffith-type crack propagation in complex scenarios. However, as approximations of Griffith's theory-which does not incorporate a strength criterion-these…
We have studied the low speed fracture regime for different glassy materials with variable but controlled length scales of heterogeneity in a carefully mastered surrounding atmosphere. By using optical and atomic force (AFM) microscopy…
Material failure is mediated by the propagation of cracks, which in realistic 3D materials typically involve multiple coexisting fracture planes. Multiple fracture-plane interactions create poorly understood out-of-plane crack structures,…
We propose a novel variational phase-field model for fracture in anisotropic materials. The model is specifically designed to allow a more flexible calibration of crack nucleation than existing anisotropic fracture formulations, while…
We study the genesis and the selective propagation of complex crack networks induced by thermal shock or drying of brittle materials. We use a quasi-static gradient damage model to perform large scale numerical simulations showing that the…
Extreme mechanical processes such as strong lattice distortion and bond breakage during fracture are ubiquitous in nature and engineering, which often lead to catastrophic failure of structures. However, understanding the nucleation and…
For the fatigue life of thin-walled components, not only fatigue crack initiation, but also crack growth is decisive. The phase-field method for fracture is a powerful tool to simulate arbitrary crack phenomena. Recently, it has been…
Our goal is to unravel the mechanisms that lead to failure of a ductile two-phase material - that consists of a ductile soft phase and a relatively brittle hard phase. An idealized microstructural model is used to study damage propagation…
Understanding and controlling fracture propagation is one of the most challenging engineering problems, especially in the oil and gas sector, groundwater hydrology and geothermal energy applications. Predicting the fracture orientation…
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,…
We investigate the fracture of Li-ion battery cathodic particles using a thermodynamically consistent phase-field approach that can describe arbitrarily complex crack paths and captures the full coupling between Li-ion diffusion, stress,…
Variational phase-field models of fracture are widely used to simulate nucleation and propagation of cracks in brittle materials. They are based on the approximation of the solutions of free-discontinuity fracture energy by two smooth…
The phase field paradigm, in combination with a suitable variational structure, has opened a path for using Griffith's energy balance to predict the fracture of solids. These so-called phase field fracture methods have gained significant…
We present a continuum theory which predicts the steady state propagation of cracks. The theory overcomes the usual problem of a finite time cusp singularity of the Grinfeld instability by the inclusion of elastodynamic effects which…
A novel FFT-based phase-field fracture framework for modelling fatigue crack initiation and propagation at the microscale is presented. A damage driving force is defined based on the stored energy and dislocation density, relating…
Conforming materials to rigid substrates with Gaussian curvature --- positive for spheres and negative for saddles --- has proven a versatile tool to guide the self-assembly of defects such as scars, pleats, folds, blisters, and liquid…
We present a novel micromechanics-based phase field approach to model crack initiation and propagation in carbon nanotube (CNT) based composites. The constitutive mechanical and fracture properties of the nanocomposites are first estimated…
Fatigue crack growth is decisive for the design of thin-walled structures such as fuselage shells of air planes. The cold rolling process, used to produce the aluminium sheets this structure is made of, leads to anisotropic mechanical…
We present a continuum phase-field model of crack propagation. It includes a phase-field that is proportional to the mass density and a displacement field that is governed by linear elastic theory. Generic macroscopic crack growth laws…
The failure of materials and interfaces is mediated by cracks, nearly singular dissipative structures that propagate at velocities approaching the speed of sound. Crack initiation and subsequent propagation -- the dynamic process of…