Conditions of the ductile-brittle transition in failure of polymer materials

Conclusions The polymer materials are characterized by the transition from ductile to brittle fracture with increasing loading rate and decreasing temperature. The brittle fracture susceptibility of the material can be determined on the basis of the critical size of the defect/ crack. The measure of the cracking resistance of plastics can often be represented by the material scale of the crack length. The quality of the critical size of the defect/crack to the material scale of the crack length can be used as a criterion determining the conditions of transition from ductile to brittle fracture.Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, No. 5, pp. 779–785, September–October, 1988.     

A Phase Field Model for Ductile to Brittle Failure Mode Transition

The computational modeling of failure mechanisms in solids due to fracture based on sharp crack discontinuities suffers in dynamic problems with complex crack topologies. This can be overcome by a diffusive crack modeling based on the introduction of a crack phase field. We outline a conceptual framework for phase field models of crack propagation in brittle elastic and ductile elastic-plastic solids under dynamic loading and investigate the ductile to brittle failure mode transition observed in the experiment performed by Kalthoff and Winkeler [3]. We develop incremental variational principles and consider their numerical implementations by multi-field finite element methods. To this end, we define energy storage and dissipation functions for the plastic flow including the fracture phase field. The introduction of local history fields that drive the evolution of the crack phase field inspires the construction of robust operator split schemes. (© 2012 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Equilibrium cracks in composites reinforced with unidirectional fibres

A discrete-continuum approach, proposed by Novozhilov for analysing the equilibrium states of a brittle of crack in an isotropic body, is applied to a penny-shaped crack situated in a fibre-reinforced composite perpendicular to the fibres. The structural non-uniformity of the material is taken into account by the presence of unbroken fibres in the narrow part of the crack, adjoining the edge, and the different effect of the strength properties of the fibre and matrix on the limit state of the crack. Using this model, the range of dimensions of equilibrium cracks is established and an estimate is given of the critical size of the bridged part of the crack, corresponding to the onset of catastrophic fracture. It is shown that this dimension has the same value for a penny-shaped crack and for a crack under plane strain, does not depend on the form of the load and, under the condition of its smallness, is a brittle fracture characteristic of a fibre-reinforced material. The possibility of using this fracture model for two types of ceramics is analysed on the basis of experimental data.     

韧脆转变的一种细观随机模糊统计分析

对不同温度和应力状态下40Cr材料进行大子样宏观试验和细观观测,提出了一种新的材料断裂韧脆转变统计随机模糊模型。该模型认为,在统计意义上,材料的韧性断裂为空穴机制,临界空穴扩张比参数可以作为韧性断裂的判据;材料的脆性断裂可以用内嵌币状裂纹的脆性断裂模型来模拟,为此测量断裂特征长度,提出并具体计算了控制币状裂纹失稳扩张的细观临界应力强度因子;在韧脆转变区域内,这两种机理并存并相互竞争,为此提出了模糊准则。对模型参数进行了测量和统计分析,给出分布规律,给出了计算断裂特征的概率模型。计算了韧脆转变区域内的细观机制变化和宏观响应。结果表明,该模型及分析方法可以很好地模拟应力状态及温度对韧脆转变的影响。     

A combined molecular dynamics-phase-field modelling approach to fracture

In order to better understand and ease the determination of material and model parameters required for the macroscopic modelling of brittle fracture, a bottom-up comparative study between molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and the continuum phase-field modelling (PFM) is carried out. In particular, based on the MD simulations of fracture of a highly brittle material, a number of PFM parameters such as the width of the transition zone between the damaged and the undamaged material, the crack resistance and the elasticity modulus are estimated. This study opens the door for an efficient way for multi-scale modelling of fracture. To illustrate this approach, a comparative two-dimensional numerical initial-boundary-value problem (IBVP) for the highly brittle aragonite (CaCO₃) is presented. (© 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

A strong discontinuity based adaptive refinement approach for the modeling of crack branching

In the current work, the physical phenomena of dynamic fracture of brittle materials involving crack growth, acceleration and consequent branching is simulated. The numerical modeling is based on the approach where the failure in the form of cracks or shear bands is modeled by a jump in the displacement field, the so called ‘strong discontinuity’. The finite element method is employed with this strong discontinuity approach where each finite element is capable of developing a strong discontinuity locally embedded into it. The focus in this work is on branching phenomena which is modeled by an adaptive refinement method by solving a new sub-boundary value problem represented by a finite element at the growing crack tip. The sub-boundary value problem is subjected to a certain kinematic constraint on the boundary in the form of a linear deformation constraint. An accurate resolution of the state of material at the branching crack tip is achieved which results in realistic dynamic fracture simulations. A comparison of resulting numerical simulations is provided with the experiment of dynamic fracture from the literature. (© 2011 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Robust Algorithm for Brittle Fracture based on Energy Minimization

The paper outlines a variational formulation of brittle fracture in solids and considers its numerical implementation by a distinct finite element method. The starting point is a variational setting of fracture mechanics that recasts a monotonic quasistatic fracture process into a sequence of incremental minimization problems. The proposed implementation introduces discretized crack patterns with material-force-driven incremental crack-segment releases. These releases of crack segments constitute a sequence of positive definite subproblems with successively decreasing overall stiffness, providing an extremely robust algorithmic setting in the postcritical range. The formulation is embedded into accompanying r-adaptive crack-pattern reorientation procedures with material-force-based indicators, providing reorientations of elements at the crack-tip. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Phase field modeling of complex crack patterns in multi-physics problems

Recently developed continuum phase field models for brittle fracture show excellent modeling capability in situations with complex crack topologies including branching in the small and large strain applications. This work presents a generalization towards fully coupled multi-physics problems at large strains. A modular concept is outlined for the linking of the diffusive crack modeling with complex multi field material response, where the focus is put on the model problem of finite thermo-elasticity. This concerns a generalization of crack driving forces from the energetic definitions towards stress-based criteria, the constitutive modeling of degradation of non-mechanical fluxes on generated crack faces. Particular assumptions are made on the generation of convective heat exchanges approximating surface load integrals of the sharp crack approach by distinct volume integrals. The coupling effect is also shown in generation of cracks due to thermally induced stress states. We finally demonstrate the performance of the phase field formulation of fracture at large strains by means of representative numerical examples. (© 2014 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Phase Field Modeling of Brittle and Ductile Fracture

The phase field modeling of brittle fracture was a topic of intense research in the last few years and is now well-established. We refer to the work [1-3], where a thermodynamically consistent framework was developed. The main advantage is that the phase-field-type diffusive crack approach is a smooth continuum formulation which avoids the modeling of discontinuities and can be implemented in a straightforward manner by multi-field finite element methods. Therefore complex crack patterns including branching can be resolved easily. In this paper, we extend the recently outlined phase field model of brittle crack propagation [1-3] towards the analysis of ductile fracture in elastic-plastic solids. In particular, we propose a formulation that is able to predict the brittle-to-ductile failure mode transition under dynamic loading that was first observed in experiments by Kalthoff and Winkler [4]. To this end, we outline a new thermodynamically consistent framework for phase field models of crack propagation in ductile elastic-plastic solids under dynamic loading, develop an incremental variational principle and consider its robust numerical implementation by a multi-field finite element method. The performance of the proposed phase field formulation of fracture is demonstrated by means of the numerical simulation of the classical Kalthoff-Winkler experiment that shows the dynamic failure mode transition. (© 2013 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Revisiting Energy Release Rates in Brittle Fracture

We revisit in a 2d setting the notion of energy release rate, which plays a pivotal role in brittle fracture. Through a blow-up method, we extend that notion to crack patterns which are merely closed sets connected to the crack tip. As an application, we demonstrate that, modulo a simple meta-stability principle, a moving crack cannot generically kink while growing continuously in time. This last result potentially renders obsolete in our opinion a longstanding debate in fracture mechanics on the correct criterion for kinking.     

Evolution of the Stress–Strain State of a Three-Dimensional Plate Weakened by a Central Crack under Impulsive Tension

A method is developed to describe the formation of the stress–strain state in the vicinity of the tip of a stationary crack in a three-dimensional plate under dynamic loading. The energy model used to describe the formation of the stress concentration zone around the crack tip is modified to take into account the transient character of the loading process and the influence of the free surfaces of the plate on the stress–strain state of the central part of the sample. The method is useful for describing static and dynamic brittle fracture from a unified point of view.     

Optimal Design of Brittle Composite Materials: a Nonsmooth Approach

Our goal is to design brittle composite materials yielding maximal energy dissipation for a given static load case. We focus on the effect of variation of fiber shapes on resulting crack paths and thus on the fracture energy. To this end, we formulate a shape optimization problem, in which the cost function is the fracture energy and the state problem consists in the determination of the potentially discontinuous displacement field in the two-dimensional domain. Thereby, the behavior at the crack surfaces is modeled by cohesive laws. We impose a nonpenetration condition to avoid interpenetration of opposite crack sides. Accordingly, the state problem is formulated as variational inequality. This leads to potential nondifferentiability of the shape-state mapping. For the numerical solution, we derive first-order information in the form of subgradients. We conclude the article by numerical results.     

On a variational,free-discontinuity formulation of brittle fracture: mean-field relaxation and numerical solution

In this paper we address the resolution of two important issues arising in the context of the relaxed variational formulation of the incremental free–boundary value problem of brittle fracture. First issue, is how by recasting the formulation into a discrete, minimum–maximum problem one can avoid the undesirable scale effects expressed in terms of the characteristic size and domain–shape dependence of the calculated minimum; second, how by a remeshing procedure in combination with a domain–shape update for tracking the propagating 0–th level set one can reconstruct the crack surface. We finally illustrate our approach by a geometrically linear 2–dimensional example for crack propagation in an initially isotropic brittle solid. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

A computational framework of three dimensional configurational-force-driven crack propagation

A variational formulation of quasi-static brittle fracture is considered and a new finite-element-based computational framework is developed for propagation of cracks in three-dimensional bodies. We outline a consistent thermodynamical framework for crack propagation in elastic solids and show that the crack propagation direction associated with the classical Griffith criterion is identified by the material configurational force which maximizes the local dissipation at the crack front. The evolving crack discontinuity is realized by the doubling of critical nodes and triangular interface facets of the tetrahedral mesh. The crucial step for the success of the procedure is its embedding into an r-adaptive crack-facet reorientation procedure based on configurational-force-based indicators in conjunction with crack front constraints. We further propose a staggered algorithm which minimizes the stored energy at frozen crack state followed by the successive crack releases at frozen deformation. This constitutes a sequence of positive definite subproblems with successively decreasing overall stiffness, providing a very robust algorithmic setting in the postcritical range. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Ductile failure with gradient plasticity coupled to the phase-field fracture at finite strains

Most metals fail in a ductile fashion, i.e, fracture is preceded by significant plastic deformation. The modeling of failure in ductile metals must account for complex phenomena at micro-scale, such as nucleation, growth and coalescence of micro-voids. In this work, we start with von-Mises plasticity model without considering void generation. The modeling of macroscopic cracks can be achieved in a convenient way by the continuum phase field approaches to fracture, which are based on the regularization of sharp crack discontinuities [1]. This avoids the use of complex discretization methods for crack discontinuities and can account for complex crack patterns. The key aspect of this work is the extension of the energetic and the stress-based phase field driving force function in brittle fracture to account for a coupled elasto-plastic response in line with our recent work [3]. We develop a new theoretical and computational framework for the phase field modeling of ductile fracture in elastic-plastic solids. To account for large strains, the constitutive model is constructed in the logarithmic strain space, which simplify the model equations and results in a formulation similar to small strains. We demonstrate the modeling capabilities and algorithmic performance of the proposed formulation by representative simulations of ductile failure mechanisms in metals. (© 2015 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

论复合型脆断的周向应变因子准则

本文讨论了线弹性断裂力学的复合型断裂准则.推荐了周向应变因子准则.     

带复合型摩擦裂纹的圆盘动态断裂实验有限元分析

为验证考虑裂纹面接触和动态荷载时,中心裂纹巴西圆盘（CCBD）试件用于分离式Hopkinson压杆（SHPB）系统中测量脆性材料复合型动态断裂韧度的可行性,以及研究裂纹面接触对动态断裂韧度实验结果的影响.通过有限元法建立SHPB CCBD三维有限元模型,计算了不同加载条件下CCBD试件的动态应力强度因子（DSIF）.结果表明:在实验中,将考虑裂纹面接触的应力强度因子(SIF)准静态公式推广为动态公式,需要判定断裂时间是否达到应力平衡的时间条件;压剪复合型加载时,裂纹面接触导致裂纹面应力变化,会对Ⅱ型裂纹的DSIF产生显著影响,不考虑裂纹面接触的影响将会导致Ⅱ型DSIF的测试值偏大.     

Mode I,mode II,and mixed-mode I/II interlaminar fracture toughness of GFRP influenced by fiber surface treatment

The interlaminar fracture behavior of unidirectional glass fiber reinforced composites with fiber surface treatment has been investigated in modes I and II and for fixed mode I to mode II ratio of 1.33. The data obtained from these tests have been analyzed by using different analytical approaches. The present investigation is focused on the influence of the glass fiber surface treatment on the interlaminar fracture toughness of unidirectional laminates. Glass fibers with two different fiber surface treatments have been investigated. fiber surface treatment was carried out by using a polyethylene or silane coupling agent in combination with modifying agents. The glass fibers were embedded in the brittle epoxy matrix. Mode I, mode II, and mixed-mode I/II tests were performed in order to determine critical strain energy release rates. Double cantilever beam (DCB), end-notched flexure (ENF), and mixed-mode flexure (MMF) specimens were used. For both types of fiber surface treatment about the same values of mode I initiation fracture toughness G_IC ^init were obtained. It was observed that in mode I interlaminar crack growth in the DCB test for the composite sized by polyethylene, the crack propagation is accompanied by extensive fiber bridging. For both fiber surface treatments interlaminar fracture toughness increases considerably with increasing of crack length. For the fiber surface treatment with the silane coupling agent, the value of mode II initiation fracture toughness G_IIC ^init was about 2.5-times higher in comparison with that of a composite sized by polyethylene. For both types of fiber surface treatments the mixed-mode I/II test has shown a similar behavior to the mode I DCB test.     

Three-Dimensional Computational Analysis of Stress State Transition in Through-Cracked Plates

Stress state is a main parameter within fracture mechanics. It has a major influence on different phenomena, namely those involving diffusion, plastic deformation, and brittle fracture. As is well-known, in the near-surface regions of a crack front, the plane stress state dominates, while at interior positions the plane strain state prevails. The main objective here is to examine the extent of surface regions in through-cracked planar geometries subjected to cyclic loading. Two constitutive material models were developed to characterise the stress state along the crack front. A new criterion based on the h stress triaxiality parameter was proposed to define the transition between surface and near-surface regions. Finally, a linear relation between the stable value of the extent of surface region and the maximum stress intensity factor was established.