Size effect in quasibrittle failure: Analytical model and numerical simulations using cohesive zone model

The recent rewriting of the Ba?ant’s size effect law (Morel, 2008) which has suggested the existence of an additional asymptotic regime for intermediate structure sizes is now compared to numerical simulations of fracture of geometrically similar notched structures of different sizes extending over 2.4 decades. The quasibrittle fracture behavior is simulated through cohesive zone model (bilinear softening) using a constant set of cohesive parameters whatever the specimen size D is. The R-curves resulting from the load–displacement responses are estimated and appear as size-independent. On this basis, the different asymptotic regimes expected for the size effect on fracture properties at peak load such as the relative crack length, the resistance to crack growth and the nominal strength are shown in fair agreement with the size effect observed on the results obtained from numerical simulations.     

Nonlinear interface shear fracture of end notched flexure specimens

The nonlinear analytical solutions of an end notched flexure adhesive joint or fracture test specimen with identical or dissimilar adherends are investigated. In the current study, a cohesive zone model (with arbitrary nonlinear cohesive laws) based analytical solution is obtained for the interface shear fracture of an end notched flexure (ENF) specimen with sufficiently long bond length. It is found that the scatter and inconsistency in calculating Mode II toughness may be significantly reduced by this model. The present work indicates that the Mode II toughness G_IIc under pure shear cracking condition is indeed very weakly dependent on the initial crack length. And this conclusion is well supported by the experimental results found in the literature. The parametric studies show that the interface shear strength is the most dominant parameter on the critical load. It is also interesting to note that with very short initial crack length and identical interface shear strength, higher Mode II toughness indeed cannot increase the critical load. Unlike the high insensitivity of critical load to the detailed shape of the cohesive law for Mode I peel fracture, the shape of the cohesive law becomes relatively important for the critical load of joints under pure Mode II fracture conditions, especially for joints with short initial crack length. The current study may help researchers deepen the understanding of interface shear fracture and clarify some previous concepts on this fracture mode.     

Integrated numerical–experimental analysis of interfacial fatigue fracture in SnAgCu solder joints

In ball grid array (BGA) packages, solder balls are exposed to cyclic thermo-mechanical strains arising from the thermal mismatch between package components. Thermo-mechanical fatigue crack propagation in solder balls is almost always observed at the chip side of the bump/pad junction. The objective of the experimental part of this study is to characterize the bump/pad interface under fatigue loading. Fatigue specimens are prepared by reflowing Sn3.8Ag0.5Cu lead-free solder alloy on Ni/Au substrates. Obtained results show that fatigue damage evolution strongly depends on the microstructure. Applied strain and solder volume both have an influence on the fatigue damage mechanism. In the numerical part of the study, fatigue experiments are modeled using the finite element technique. A cohesive zone approach is used to predict the fatigue damage evolution in soldered connections. Crack propagation is simulated by an irreversible linear traction–separation cohesive zone law accompanied by a non-linear damage parameter. Cohesive zone elements are placed where failure is experimentally observed. Damage evolution parameters for normal and tangential interaction are scrutinized through dedicated fatigue tests in pure tensile and shear directions. The proposed cohesive zone model is quantitatively capable of describing fatigue failure in soldered joints, which can be further extended to a numerical life-time prediction tool in microelectronic packages.     

FINITE ELEMENT MODELLING OF COMPLEX 3D STATIC AND DYNAMIC CRACK PROPAGATION BY EMBEDDING COHESIVE ELEMENTS IN ABAQUS

<正>This study proposes an algorithm of embedding cohesive elements in Abaqus and develops the computer code to model 3D complex crack propagation in quasi-brittle materials in a relatively easy and efficient manner.The cohesive elements with softening traction-separation relations and damage initiation and evolution laws are embedded between solid elements in regions of interest in the initial mesh to model potential cracks.The initial mesh can consist of tetrahedrons,wedges,bricks or a mixture of these elements.Neither remeshing nor objective crack propagation criteria are needed.Four examples of concrete specimens,including a wedge-splitting test,a notched beam under torsion,a pull-out test of an anchored cylinder and a notched beam under impact,were modelled and analysed.The simulated crack propagation processes and load-displacement curves agreed well with test results or other numerical simulations for all the examples using initial meshes with reasonable densities.Making use of Abaqus's rich pre/post-processing functionalities and powerful standard/explicit solvers,the developed method offers a practical tool for engineering analysts to model complex 3D fracture problems.     

Dislocation shielding of a cohesive crack

Dislocation interaction with a cohesive crack is of increasing importance to computational modelling of crack nucleation/growth and related toughening mechanisms in confined structures and under cyclic fatigue conditions. Here, dislocation shielding of a Dugdale cohesive crack described by a rectangular traction-separation law is studied. The shielding is completely characterized by three non-dimensional parameters representing the effective fracture toughness, the cohesive strength, and the distance between the dislocations and the crack tip. A closed form analytical solution shows that, while the classical singular crack model predicts that a dislocation can shield or anti-shield a crack depending on the sign of its Burgers vector, at low cohesive strengths a dislocation always shields the cohesive crack irrespective of the Burgers vector. A numerical study shows the transition in shielding from the classical solution of Lin and Thomson (1986) in the high strength limit to the solution in the low strength limit. An asymptotic analysis yields an approximate analytical model for the shielding over the full range of cohesive strengths. A discrete dislocation (DD) simulation of a large (>10³) number of edge dislocations interacting with a cohesive crack described by a trapezoidal traction-separation law confirms the transition in shielding, showing that the cohesive crack does behave like a singular crack at very high cohesive strengths (∼7 GPa), but that significant deviations in shielding between singular and cohesive crack predictions arise at cohesive strengths around 1GPa, consistent with the analytic models. Both analytical and numerical studies indicate that an appropriate crack tip model is essential for accurately quantifying dislocation shielding for cohesive strengths in the GPa range.     

混凝土梁三点弯曲断裂模式转变的近场动力学模拟

混凝土结构的宏观损伤开裂与其非均质微观结构紧密相关。底部带切口的混凝土梁在进行三点弯曲破坏时,随着切口的位置由梁中向梁边转移,裂纹由从切口处萌生并生长转变为从梁的中部萌生。本文采用半均质化近场动力学（IH-PD）模型和全均质化近场动力学（FH-PD）模型,分别对混凝土梁三点弯断裂问题进行模拟研究。IH-PD模型根据混凝土中骨料体积分数随机生成不同键的组合方式,将微观尺度的非均质性引入模型,无需详细描绘骨料形状和分布即可考虑混凝土非均质性。本文将IH-PD与FH-PD模型得到的断裂模式随切口位置的变化关系,与实验结果对比,分析微观结构对混凝土梁开裂的影响;基于非均质材料特征尺寸与IH-PD模型网格参数的相关性,模拟骨料大小对混凝土梁断裂模式的影响;另外,通过在IH-PD模型中设置预损伤的方式引入随机分布的孔隙,探讨孔隙率对混凝土断裂模式的影响。     

On a case of crack path bifurcation in cohesive materials

Summary Experimental, theoretical and numerical investigations show that crack kinking and crack branching can be observed and simulated in brittle solids and in the fast dynamical propagation of quasi-brittle fractures. The present study shows that kinking and branching may also occur in the quasi-static regime when an isotrophic or equi-biaxial tensile state of stress arises at the tip of a cohesive crack, and may represent alternative itineraries (i.e. path bifurcation) of the fracture process. Specific reference is made to the common but meaningful case of the three-point-bending test. Various numerical techniques apt to capture the above occurrence are comparatively presented, and the influence of path bifurcation on the overall behaviour of the specimen is discussed. Received 8 October 1997; accepted for publication 22 January 1998     

In-plane fracture of laminated fiber reinforced composites with varying fracture resistance: Experimental observations and numerical crack propagation simulations

A series of experimental results on the in-plane fracture of a fiber reinforced laminated composite panel is analyzed using the variational multiscale cohesive method (VMCM). The VMCM results demonstrate the influence of specimen geometry and load distribution on the propagation of large scale bridging cracks in the fiber reinforced panel. Experimentally observed variation in fracture resistance is substantiated numerically by comparing the experimental and VMCM load–displacement responses of geometrically scaled single edge-notch three point bend (SETB) specimens. The results elucidate the size dependence of the traction-separation relationship for this class of materials even in moderately large specimens, contrary to the conventional understanding of it being a material property. The existence of a “free bridging zone” (different from the conventional “full bridging zone”) is recognized, and its influence on the evolving fracture resistance is discussed. The numerical simulations and ensuing bridging zone evolution analysis demonstrates the versatility of VMCM in objectively simulating progressive crack propagation, compared against conventional numerical schemes like traditional cohesive zone modeling, which require a priori knowledge of the crack path.     

A cohesive plastic and damage zone model for dynamic crack growth in rate-dependent materials

Mode I steady-state dynamic crack growth in rate-dependent viscoplastic solids containing damage, under small scale yielding conditions, is analyzed based on a modified cohesive zone model. A multi-scale approach is used to describe the entire non-linear zone consisting of a plastic region and a damage region, each of which has its own constitutive law. Traction in the damage region is characterized by a softening power-law, in terms of the ultimate strength, a softening index and a rate sensitivity factor. In the plastic region, the cohesive law is assumed to be both strain hardening and rate dependent. The critical crack opening displacement at the physical crack-tip controls crack growth. The governing integral equations are derived and solved by a collocation method combined with associated boundary conditions. Numerical results are presented for the traction and opening profiles along the cohesive zone, the fracture energy and lengths of the damage and non-linear zones at different crack speeds and for different material parameters. The importance of factors, such as material softening, plastic deformation, crack speed and viscosity, is identified by parametric studies. In addition, the competition of plastic flow and material damage, and its effect on crack growth, are discussed.     

Crack propagation in glass coatings under expanding spherical contact

The growth of transverse cracks under expanding spherical contact in a model system consisted of soda-lime glass bonded to a polycarbonate substrate is observed in situ from below or from the polished edge of the bilayer. Abrasion or chemical etching is employed on the coating surfaces to control the initial fracture. In the limit case of monoliths, the crack mouth becomes fully engulfed by the expanding contact, which results in a much steeper crack angle compared to the classical Hertzian cone case. As the coating thickness is reduced, flexure stresses are set in the coating which drive the cone crack to well away from the contact circle and initiate semi-elliptical-like radial cracks at the subsurface, right under the contact. Common to all three fracture modes is an initial unstable propagation phase following by a stable growth, with detrimental failure associated with severe damage to the top surface and/or delamination at the coating/substrate interface taking place at loads several times the fracture initiation loads.LEFM in conjunction with a large-strain FEM contact code is used to study the post-initiation fracture, with the crack path controlled by the principal stress trajectory or zero-mode II S.I.F. The analysis exposes the leading geometric and material parameters in each fracture mode, which may be useful in the design of bilayer structures for optimal mechanical performance. The well-known Auerbach law governing the initial fracture of monoliths is found to apply also to the bilayer crack systems within a certain range of the problem parameters. The numerical prediction for the crack profiles and the fracture envelopes generally collaborate well with the tests.     

压电复合材料粘接界面断裂有限元模拟

根据数字化FRMM(Fix-Ratio Mix-Mode)断裂试验,得到了压电复合材料试件的断裂韧性和位移及应变场。本文在试验的基础上,通过非线性有限元软件ABAQUS及用户子程序UMAT进行了模拟分析,采用基于损伤力学的粘聚区模型(CZM)对压电复合材料界面的起裂和脱胶扩展进行了分析,并与VCCT方法进行了比较。计算得到的荷载位移曲线更接近于试验结果,但在裂纹扩展路径上的吻合需要对粘聚区法则进一步修正。通过进一步对CZM参数进行分析,表明界面粘结强度和界面刚度对计算结果的影响很大。研究结果表明,粘聚区模型可以很好地表征压电复合材料弱粘接界面脱胶断裂问题。     

A numerical study on the SEN-TPB test applied to mode I wood fracture characterization

A numerical study involving the single edge notched-three point bending test was methodically performed to evaluate its adequacy for wood fracture characterization under mode I loading. Stress analysis along the ligament length using cohesive zone modeling allowed understating the influence of the compressive stresses induced by bending on the stress profile for geometrically similar specimens with different sizes. The stress relief region induced by the presence of the crack was identified by a stress analysis procedure along the beam length. A data reduction scheme based on the beam theory and on the crack equivalent concept was then developed considering an approach using a rectangular stress relief region. The method allows estimating the Resistance-curve without monitoring the crack length during propagation. Important remarks regarding the aspects which contribute to explain the size effect phenomenon in wood are highlighted in this study. Following the presented procedure the application of the single edge notched-three point bending test for wood fracture characterization under mode I has become considerably user-friendlier.     

Theoretical development and experimental validation of a thermally dissipative cohesive zone model for dynamic fracture of amorphous polymers

A thermally dissipative cohesive zone model is developed for predicting the temperature increase at the tip of a crack propagating dynamically in a nominally brittle material exhibiting a cohesive-type failure such as crazing. The model assumes that fracture energy supplied to the crack tip region that is in excess of that needed for the creation of new free surfaces during crack advance is converted to heat within the cohesive zone. Bulk dissipation mechanisms, such as plasticity, are not accounted for. Several cohesive traction laws are examined, and the model is then used to make predictions of crack tip heating at various crack propagation speeds in the nominally brittle amorphous polymer PMMA, observed to fail by a crazing-type mechanism. The heating predictions are compared to experimental data where the temperature field surrounding a high speed crack in PMMA was measured. Measurements are made in real time using a multi-point high speed HgCdTe infrared radiation detector array. At the same time as temperature, simultaneous measurement of fracture energy is made by a strain gauge technique, and crack tip speed is monitored through a resistance ladder method. Material strength can be estimated through uniaxial tension tests, thus minimizing the need for parameter fitting in the stress-opening traction law. Excellent agreement between experiments and theory is found for two of the cohesive traction law temperature predictions, but only for the case where a single craze is active during the dynamic fracture of PMMA, i.e. crack tip speed up to approximately 0.2c_R. For higher speed fracture where subsurface damage becomes prominent, the line dissipation model of a cohesive zone is inadequate, and a distributed damage model is needed.     

混凝土黏聚开裂模型若干进展

黏聚模型是用来描述混凝土断裂行为的基本模型, 首先介绍了混凝土的黏聚开裂模型的基本概念,总结了确定黏聚区的本构方程的各种方法,即直接单轴拉伸测试、J积分方法、R曲线法、柔度法和逆推法.然后介绍了黏聚模型在I型和复合型裂纹问题、疲劳断裂问题中的应用以及黏聚模型与混凝土尺寸效应的关系.最后对黏聚开裂模型与桥联模型、带状裂缝模型进行了比较和总结, 指出了该模型存在的问题, 并对其以后的发展方向提出了建议.      

A biaxial test specimen for crack arrest studies

A biaxially loaded, single edge notched (SEN) fracture specimen, with mixed modes I and II loading, was used to study the crack arrest capability of a bonded and riveted tear strap without and with simulated multiple site damage (MSD). MSD was modeled by a 50-percent groove without which the running crack would inevitably kink due to K_II loading. A total of thirty-one 2024-T3 aluminum specimens with various crack and MSD configurations were tested. The fracture parameters associated with straight and curved crack paths were determined by using the experimenta results to drive a dynamic finite element model of the specimen in its generation mode. The crack kinking and extension criteria were verified by the excellent agreement between the prediction based on these fracture parameters and the measured crack kinking angles. Comparison between the test results generated by the biaxial stress specimens and by those generated by small- and full-scale pressurized fuselage rupture experiments showed that this specimen can be used to prescreen the effectiveness of tear straps and crack arrestors in an airplane fuselage.     

基于损伤-虚拟张拉裂纹模型的地下爆炸围岩破坏规律研究

地下硐室作为爆炸危险物的隐蔽贮藏空间,有潜在的内爆炸风险。为研究内爆炸作用下硐室围岩的动态响应机制,提出了一种基于岩石HJC (Holmquist-Johnson-Cook)模型和节理内聚力单元的损伤-虚拟裂纹模型。分析了模拟方法的可靠性,并在此基础上,通过多物质ALE算法对球形硐室内爆炸过程进行数值模拟,分析了围岩损伤范围和分区破坏规律。研究表明:插入内聚力单元弥补了HJC模型无法模拟低静水压力下张拉破坏的不足,且尺寸效应易于处理。模拟方法同时考虑了岩体内张拉裂纹的扩展和岩石材料的塑性损伤,能够真实地反映岩石破坏的全过程。以红砂岩为例,根据数值模拟结果,填实（耦合装药）爆炸时围岩分区破坏规律明显,破碎区比例半径为0.26 m/kg1/3、裂隙区比例半径为0.47 m/kg1/3。随着硐室尺寸的增大,空气的间隔作用可以减小爆炸荷载对围岩的损伤作用,比例半径达到0.52 m/kg1/3时,可以实现爆炸荷载的完全解耦。     

内聚力模型裂纹问题分析的解析奇异单元

内聚力模型已经被广泛应用于需要考虑断裂过程区的裂纹问题当中,然而常用的数值方法应用于分析内聚力模型裂纹问题时还存在着一些不足,比如不能准确的给出断裂过程区的长度、需要网格加密等。为了克服这些缺点,论文构造了一个新型的解析奇异单元,并将之应用于基于内聚力模型的裂纹分析当中。首先将虚拟裂纹表面处的内聚力用拉格拉日插值的方法近似表示为多项式的形式,而多项式表示的内聚力所对应的特解可以被解析地给出。然后利用一个简单的迭代分析,基于内聚力模型的裂纹问题就可以被模拟出来了。最后,给出二个数值算例来证明本文方法的有效性。     

Inverse Estimation of Cohesive Fracture Properties of Asphalt Mixtures Using an Optimization Approach

Tensile cracking in asphalt pavements due to vehicular and thermal loads has become an experimental and numerical research focus in the asphalt materials community. Previous studies have used the discrete element method (DEM) to study asphalt concrete fracture. These studies used trial-and-error to obtain local fracture properties such that the DEM models approximate the experimental load-crack mouth opening displacement response. In the current study, we identify the cohesive fracture properties of asphalt mixtures via a nonlinear optimization method. The method encompasses a comparative investigation of displacement fields obtained using both digital image correlation (DIC) and heterogeneous DEM fracture simulations. The proposed method is applied to two standard fracture test geometries: the single-edge notched beam test, SE(B), under three-point bending, and the disk-shaped compact tension test, DC(T). For each test, the Subset Splitting DIC algorithm is used to determine the displacement field in a predefined region near the notch tip. Then, a given number of DEM simulations are performed on the same specimen. The DEM is used to simulate the fracture of asphalt concrete with a linear softening cohesive contact model, where fracture-related properties (e.g., maximum tensile force and maximum crack opening) are varied within a predefined range. The difference between DIC and DEM displacement fields for each set of fracture parameters is then computed and converted to a continuous function via multivariate Lagrange interpolation. Finally, we use a Newton-like optimization technique to minimize Lagrange multinomials, yielding a set of fracture parameters that minimizes the difference between the DEM and DIC displacement fields. The optimized set of fracture parameters from this nonlinear optimization procedure led to DEM results which are consistent with the experimental results for both SE(B) and DC(T) geometries.     

Separation work analysis of cohesive law and consistently coupled cohesive law

An appropriate coupled cohesive law for predicting the mixed mode failure is established by combining normal separation and tangential separation of surfaces in the cohesive zone model (CZM) and the cohesive element method. The Xu-Needleman exponential cohesive law with the fully shear failure mechanism is one of the most popular models. Based on the proposed consistently coupled rule/principle, the Xu-Needleman law with the fully shear failure mechanism is proved to be a non-consistently coupled cohesive law by analyzing the surface separation work. It is shown that the Xu-Needleman law is only valid in the mixed mode fracture when the normal separation work equals the tangential separation work. Based on the consistently coupled principle and the modification of the Xu-Needleman law, a consistently coupled cohesive (CCC) law is given. It is shown that the proposed CCC law has already overcome the non-consistency defect of the Xu-Needleman law with great promise in mixed mode analyses.