Configurational-force-based structural updates and adaptive remeshing strategies

The application of configurational forces in h -adaptive strategies for fracture mechanics and inelasticity is investigated. Starting from a global Clausius-Planck inequality, dual equilibrium conditions are derived by means of a Coleman-type exploitation method. The remaining reduced dissipation inequality is used for the derivation of evolution equations for the internal variables. In fracture mechanics, crack loading conditions as well as a normality rule for the crack propagation are obtained. In the discrete setting, the crack propagation is governed by a configurational-force-driven update of the geometry model. The material balance equation is used to set up a h -adaptive refinement indicator. A relative global criterion is defined used for the decision on mesh refinement. In addition, a criterion on the element level is evaluated controlling the local refinement procedure. The capability of the proposed procedures is demonstrated by means of numerical examples. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

On Configurational-Force-Driven Crack Propagation and Adaptive Mesh Refinement in Finite Inelasticity

We introduce a consistent variational framework for inelasticity at finite strains, yielding dual balances in physical and material space as the Euler equations. The formulation is employed for the simultaneous usage of configurational forces as both driving forces for crack propagation as well as h-adaptive mesh refinement. The theoretical basis builds upon a global balance of internal and external power, where the mechanical response is exclusively governed by two scalar functions, the free energy function and a dissipation potential. The resulting variational structure is exploited in the context of fracture mechanics and yields evolution equations for internal variables. In the discrete setting, we present a geometry model fully separated from the finite element mesh structure that represents structural changes of the material configuration due to crack propagation. Advanced meshing algorithms provide an optimal discretization at the crack tip. Local and global criteria are obtained via error estimators based on configurational forces being interpreted as indicators of an energetic misfit due to an insufficient discretization. The numerical handling is decomposed into a staggered algorithm scheme for the dual set of equilibrium equations in material and physical space and efficient mesh generation tools. Exemplary numerical examples are considered to illustrate the method and to underline the effects of inelastic material behaviour in the presented context. (© 2013 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Simulation of domain structures in cracked ferroelectric materials

The domain structure around a crack tip plays a significant role in the fracture behavior of ferroelectrics. A continuum phase field model is used to investigate the microstructure at the crack front. The concept of the Eshelby momentum tensor and configurational forces is then generalized to account for the contributions of the polarization term. Implementation of the generalized configurational force in the Finite Element code enables us to numerically obtain the driving force at the crack tip, which corresponds to the crack-tip energy release rate. Calculations show that additional positive electric fields tend to prohibit crack growth, whereas additional negative electric fields tend to promote crack growth. (© 2009 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

On a numerical scheme for curved crack propagation based on configurational forces and maximum dissipation

A numerical scheme is presented to predict crack trajectories in two dimensional components. First a relation between the curvature in mixed–mode crack propagation and the corresponding configurational forces is derived, based on the principle of maximum dissipation. With the help of this, a numerical scheme is presented which is based on a predictor–corrector method using the configurational forces acting on the crack together with their derivatives along real and test paths. With the help of this scheme it is possible to take bigger than usual propagation steps, represented by splines. Essential for this approach is the correct numerical determination of the configurational forces acting on the crack tip. The methods used by other authors are shortly reviewed and an approach valid for arbitrary non–homogenous and non–linear materials with mixed–mode cracks is presented. Numerical examples show, that the method is a able to predict the crack paths in components with holes, stiffeners etc. with good accuracy. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Fracture Mechanical Analysis of Cracks in Ice Shelves using the Finite Element Method and Configurational Forces

Ice shelves are important elements of the climate system and sensitive to climate changes. The disintegration of large Antarctic ice shelves is the focus of this fracture mechanical analysis. Ice is a complex material which, depending on the context, can be seen as a viscous fluid or as an elastic solid. A fracture event usually occurs on a rather short time scale, thus the elastic response is important and linear elastic fracture mechanics can be used. The investigation of the stress intensity factor as a measure of crack tip loading is based on a 2-dimensional analysis of a single crack with a mode-I type load and additional body loads. This investigation is performed using configurational forces. Depth dependent density and temperature profiles are considered. The relevant parameters are obtained by literature, remote sensing data analysis and modeling of the ice dynamics. The criticality of wet surface cracks is investigated. (© 2011 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Computation of material forces for the thermo-mechanical response of dynamically loaded elastomers

Elastomers are widely used in today's life. The material is characterized by large deformability upon failure, elastic and time dependent as well as non-time dependent effects which can be also a function of temperature. In addition, cyclically loaded components show heat build-up which is due to dissipation. As a result, the temperature evolution of an elastomeric component can strongly influence the material properties and durability characteristics. Representing best the real thermo-mechanical behaviour of an elastomeric component in its design process is one motivation for the use of sophisticated, coupled material approaches within numerical simulations. In order to assess the durability characteristics, for example regarding crack propagation, material forces (configurational forces) are one possible approach to be applied. In the present contribution, the implementation of material forces for a thermo-mechanically coupled material model including a continuum mechanical damage (CMD) approach is demonstrated in the context of the Finite Element Method (FEM). Special emphasis is given to material forces resulting from internal variables (viscosity and damage variables), temperature field evolution and dynamic loading. Using the example of an elastomeric component, for which the material model parameters have been previously identified by a uniaxial extension test, material forces are evaluated quantitatively. The influence of each contribution (internal variables, temperature field and dynamics) is illustrated and compared to the overall material force response. (© 2012 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

On the computation of material forces in continuum‐atomistic modelling

Material forces govern the behavior and evolution of defects in solids. In elastic materials these forces which are associated with the Eshelby stress tensor are used to describe fracture sensitivities and can be employed to compute the J‐integral [2]. Since crack propagation begins with a variety of fundamental processes which occur within highly localized ultra–fine volume of material that constitute the fracture process zone surrounding a crack tip [3], the question of appropriate growth criteria, i.e. how far and in which direction a crack will glide under a certain loading condition is implied by the material force. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Material Forces in elasto-plastic Materials

In this contribution the concept of configurational forces, also called material forces, is applied to rate–independent, elasto–plastic materials. The theory of configurational forces is briefly recast. Zones of plastic deformation can be interpreted as distributed inhomogeneities. With this background the theory of configurational forces can be applied in many situations, including plastic zones at crack tips, elastic inclusions in elasto–plastic materials and localized deformation. The numerical evaluation is done with the Finite Element Method. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Multiscale modelling and simulation of micro machining of titanium

The microscale morphology of micro machined component surfaces is directly connected to the heterogeneous microstructure. The deformation depends on the crystal structure, in case of the considered cp-titanium, the hcp crystal structure. In a first approach the crystal plastic deformation is modeled with isotropic hardening. A visco-plastic evolution law accounts for the rate dependency. The concept of configurational forces is used with the framework of crystal plasticity to model the cutting process of cp-titanium. The setting is implemented into the finite element method. The examples show the effect of the material heterogeneity on the deforamtion behavior and on the related configurational forces. (© 2012 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Identification of the material symmetries with anisotropic damage evolution due to a growing mixed-mode crack

A numerical study of a growing mixed-mode internal crack in a unit cell was undertaken with the help of a finite element simulation. The model enables us to measure the components of the elastic compliance tensor modified by damage as the crack grows, showing the evolution of the anisotropic damage and the evolution of the type of material symmetries. The evolution of the elasticity tensor shows that the damage associated with a growing elliptical crack changes the virgin isotropic properties into orthotropic ones and by crack growth the axes of orthotropic symmetry, initially aligned with the local coordinates of the crack, rotate towards the principle loading axes. Crack propagation is simulated using the stepwise method, which consists of the succession of straight segments and crack growth is governed by the principle of maximum driving force which is a direct consequence of the variational principle of a cracked body in equilibrium and considers the effect of all three stress intensity factors. Without any ad hoc assumption, the crack growth rate is calculated using its thermodynamic duality with the local maximum driving force. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Configurational Forces in Crystal Plasticity

The surface morphology of micro machined surfaces depends on the heterogeneous microstructure. A crystal plasticity model is used to describe the plastic deformation in cp-titanium with its hcp crystal structure. Therefore the basal and prismatic slip systems are taken into account. Furthermore, self and latent hardening are considered. The rate dependency is motivated by a visco plastic evolution law. The cutting process of cp-titanium is modeled within the concept of configurational forces for a standard dissipative media. This framework is implemented into the finite element method. An example illustrates the effects of the microstructure on plastic deformation and configurational forces. (© 2013 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Multiscale damage simulation

Numerous materials show a softening behaviour at dynamic loading. The decrease of stress is caused by the evolution in the microscale in terms of areas where the local stiffness is reduced, e.g. due to micro-void growth. For a numerical treatment of this material behaviour, phenomenological damage approaches are used in daily engineering practice. For a better understanding of the micromechanical process of such phenomenological models, multiscale methods are becoming increasingly important. The physical quantities that are responsible for the microstructural evolution associated with the damage process are transferred into the numerical model. In this context, the method of configurational forces will be used to describe the geometrical changes of damaged areas. With the help of homogenization, macro- and microscale will be coupled. In consequence, each Gaussian point of the macroscale is modelled by an own microstructure (RVE), where the microscale evolves during the loading process according to observable damage phenomena. Hereby, we present the general case of hyperelastic materials at finite strains. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Crack – interface crack interactions in functionally graded/homogeneous composite bimaterials subjected to a heat flux

A bimaterial containing an interface crack and consisting of a homogeneous material and a functionally graded material (FGM) with a system of small internal cracks is considered. The thermal fracture of the biomaterial under the action of a heat flux applied to it at infinity is investigated. The problem is studied in the case where the interface crack is much larger than the internal ones. It is assumed that the thermal properties of the FGM are continuous functions of the thickness coordinate. Asymptotic analytical formulas for the thermal stress intensity factors (TSIFs) at the tips of the interface crack are obtained as series in a small parameter (the ratio between sizes of the internal and interface cracks). Then, the critical heat fluxes and the angles of propagation direction of the interface crack are calculated using the criterion of maximum circumferential stress. A parametric analysis shows that the propagation direction of the interface crack depends on the location and orientation of the system of internal cracks. The parameters of inhomogeneity of the FGM affect the value of TSIFs and, hence, the deflection angle of the interface crack.     

Configurational forces in a micro-cracked body

A framework to model micro-cracked bodies based on the theory of continua with microstructure is presented: assuming a crack embedded in each material element, a field is considered characterising size and orientation of the crack, in addition to the usual placement in the Euclidian space. To deal with crack evolutions, we call upon configurational forces which, in the present case, occur at the level of the microstructure. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

An Approach for Micromechanical Modelling of Damage Mechanisms

In the framework of numerical simulation of damaged materials, softening behaviour represents an important topic. Thereby, the decrease of stiffness is mainly caused by the evolution of microvoids. In contrast to the established phenomenological damage approaches, the explicit consideration of effects on the micro scale can lead to an improved approximation quality. In this work, we discuss an approach to describe microstructural evolution. Based on a two phase micro model representing the macroscopical material behaviour, the structural evolution on the micro scale will be modelled based on configurational forces. Besides some theoretical basics on configurational forces at two phase systems and the definition of suitable evolution laws, we present an application of this approach on void growth process in rubberlike material. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Configurational forces in a multiscale approach to piezoelectric materials

Due to the growing interest in determining the macroscopic material response of inhomogeneous materials, computational methods are becoming increasingly concerned with the application of homogenization techniques. In this work, a two-scale classical homogenization of an electro-mechanically coupled material using a FE²-approach is discussed. We explicitly formulated the homogenized coefficients of the elastic, piezoelectric and dielectric tensors for small strain as well as the homogenized remanent strain and remanent polarization. In the homogenization different representative volume elements (RVEs), which capture the micro-structure of the inhomogeneous material, are used to represent the macroscopic material response. Two different schemes are considered. In the first case, domain wall movement is not allowed, but in the second case the movement of the domain walls is taken into account using thermodynamic considerations. Later this technique is used to determine the macroscopic and microscopic configurational forces on defects [2]. These defect situations include the driving force on a crack tip. The effect of the applied electric field on configurational forces at the crack tip is investigated. (© 2011 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Phase field simulations in ferroelectric materials

The hindering of domain wall movement by defects in ferroelectric materials is closely connected to electric fatigue. A movable domain wall in a ferroelectric material in most cases is modelled as a singular surface which allows the use of configurational forces. In contrast, the present approach treats the polarization as an order parameter, extending the total energy by a phase separation energy and a domain wall energy. The polarization then no longer has a discontinuity at the domain wall but is a continuous vector field (phase field). As an example, a numerical simulation of domain evolution under stress free boundary conditions is presented. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Strategies for the Computation of Configurational Forces in Dissipative Media

Configurational forces can be interpreted as driving forces on material inhomogeneities such as crack tips. In dissipative media the total configurational force on an inhomogeneity consists of an elastic contribution and a contribution due to the dissipative processes in the material. For the computation of discrete configurational forces acting at the nodes of a finite element mesh, the elastic and dissipative contributions must be evaluated at integration point level. While the evaluation of the elastic contribution is straightforward, the evaluation of the dissipative part is faced with certain difficulties. This is because gradients of internal variables are necessary in order to compute the dissipative part of the configurational force. For the sake of efficiency, these internal variables are usually treated as local history data at integration point level in finite element (FE) implementations. Thus, the history data needs to be projected to the nodes of the FE mesh in order to compute the gradients by means of shape function interpolations of nodal data as it is standard practice. However, this is a rather cumbersome method which does not easily integrate into standard finite element frameworks. An alternative approach which facilitates the computation of gradients of local history data is investigated in this work. This approach is based on the definition of subelements within the elements of the FE mesh and allows for a straightforward integration of the configurational force computation into standard finite element software. The suitability and the numerical accuracy of different projection approaches and the subelement technique are discussed and analyzed exemplarily within the context of a crystal plasticity model. (© 2014 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Application of configurational forces in the context of a kinked crack

The application of the configurational force approach in crack problems is often used in order to establish fracture criteria that are adapted to a specific material behaviour. The tangential component of the calculated vectorial quantity that acts at the crack tip is a generalisation of the conventional J-integral and can be interpreted as the energy release rate when the crack extends in this direction. However, the interpretation of nontangential components in the same way, and hence the interpretation of this vectorial quantity as the crack driving force, is not consistent with established kink criteria in the special case of linear elastic fracture mechanics. As a classical example, an in-plane loaded crack in a homogeneous isotropic linear elastic material is considered under the small strain assumption. Using the expansion of stress intensity factors at the extended crack tip, nontangential components of the configurational force can be interpreted as sensitivities to crack deflection. This perspective has the potential of generalisation which can be applied to more complex situations in order to study the interplay between mechanical fields in the vicinity of the crack tip and the microstructural influence within the process zone. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)