Analysis of crack growth and crack-tip plasticity in ductile materials using cohesive zone models

Crack initiation and crack growth resistance in elastic plastic materials, dominated by crack-tip plasticity are analyzed with the crack modeled as a cohesive zone. Two different types (exponential and bilinear) of cohesive zone models (CZMs) have been used to represent the mechanical behavior of the cohesive zones. In this work, it is suggested that different forms of CZMs (e.g., exponential, bilinear) are the manifestations of different micromechanisms-based inelastic processes that participate in dissipating energy during the fracture process and each form is specific to each material system. It is postulated that the total energy release rate comprises the plastic dissipation rate in the bounding material and the separation energy rate within the fracture process zone, the latter is determined by CZMs. The total energy release rate then becomes a function of the material properties (e.g., yield strength, strain hardening exponent) and cohesive properties of the fracture process zone (e.g., cohesive strength and cohesive energy), and the form of cohesive zone model (CZM) that determines the rate of energy dissipation in the forward and wake regions of the crack. The effects of material parameters, cohesive zone parameters as well as the form/shape of CZMs in predicting the crack growth resistance and the size of plastic zone (SPZ) surrounding the crack tip are systematically examined. It is found that in addition to the cohesive strength and cohesive energy, the form (shape) of the traction–separation law of CZM plays a very critical role in determining the crack growth resistance (R-curve) of a given material. It is further observed that the shape of the CZM corresponds to inelastic processes active in the forward and wake regions of the crack, and has a profound influence on the R-curve and SPZ.     

A material force method for inelastic fracture mechanics

A material force method is proposed for evaluating the energy release rate and work rate of dissipation for fracture in inelastic materials. The inelastic material response is characterized by an internal variable model with an explicitly defined free energy density and dissipation potential. Expressions for the global material and dissipation forces are obtained from a global balance of energy-momentum that incorporates dissipation from inelastic material behavior. It is shown that in the special case of steady-state growth, the global dissipation force equals the work rate of dissipation, and the global material force and J-integral methods are equivalent. For implementation in finite element computations, an equivalent domain expression of the global material force is developed from the weak form of the energy-momentum balance. The method is applied to model problems of cohesive fracture in a remote K-field for viscoelasticity and elastoplasticity. The viscoelastic problem is used to compare various element discretizations in combination with different schemes for computing strain gradients. For the elastoplastic problem, the effects of cohesive and bulk properties on the plastic dissipation are examined using calculations of the global dissipation force.     

A unified potential-based cohesive model of mixed-mode fracture

A generalized potential-based constitutive model for mixed-mode cohesive fracture is presented in conjunction with physical parameters such as fracture energy, cohesive strength and shape of cohesive interactions. It characterizes different fracture energies in each fracture mode, and can be applied to various material failure behavior (e.g. quasi-brittle). The unified potential leads to both intrinsic (with initial slope indicators to control elastic behavior) and extrinsic cohesive zone models. Path dependence of work-of-separation is investigated with respect to proportional and non-proportional paths—this investigation demonstrates consistency of the cohesive constitutive model. The potential-based model is verified by simulating a mixed-mode bending test. The actual potential is named PPR (Park-Paulino-Roesler), after the first initials of the authors’ last names.     

A model of fracture in reinforced concrete arches based on lumped damage mechanics

A simplified model of cracking and damage in RC circular elements is proposed. The model can be used for the structural assessment of arches and rings. The constitutive equations are based on lumped damage mechanics which is an adaptation of fracture and continuum damage mechanics to the theory of frames with plastic hinges. An arch element is assumed to be the assemblage of an elastic circular component and two inelastic hinges where the main inelastic effects, plastic yielding of the longitudinal reinforcement and concrete cracking, are concentrated. Deformations in the elastic part are assumed to be small but the model may include some geometrically nonlinear effects due to large displacements or rotations of the hinges. The numerical examples presented in the paper show that the model describes correctly the global behavior of two structures including the softening phase.     

Cohesive zone laws for void growth — II. Numerical field projection of elasto-plastic fracture processes with vapor pressure

Modeling ductile fracture processes using Gurson-type cell elements has achieved considerable success in recent years. However, incorporating the full mechanisms of void growth and coalescence in cohesive zone laws for ductile fracture still remains an open challenge. In this work, a planar field projection method, combined with equilibrium field regularization, is used to extract crack-tip cohesive zone laws of void growth in an elastic-plastic solid. To this end, a single row of void-containing cell elements is deployed directly ahead of a crack in an elastic-plastic medium subjected to a remote K-field loading; the macroscopic behavior of each cell element is governed by the Gurson porous material relation, extended to incorporate vapor pressure effects. A thin elastic strip surrounding this fracture process zone is introduced, from which the cohesive zone variables can be extracted via the planar field projection method. We show that the material's initial porosity induces a highly convex traction-separation relationship — the cohesive traction reaches the peak almost instantaneously and decreases gradually with void growth, before succumbing to rapid softening during coalescence. The profile of this numerically extracted cohesive zone law is consistent with experimentally determined cohesive zone law in Part I for multiple micro-crazing in HIPS. In the presence of vapor pressure, both the cohesive traction and energy are dramatically lowered; the shape of the cohesive zone law, however, remains highly convex, which suggests that diffusive damage is still the governing failure mechanism.     

A comparison of cohesive zone modeling and classical fracture mechanics based on near tip stress field

A mode III crack with a cohesive zone in a power-law hardening material is studied under small scale yielding conditions. The cohesive law follows a softening path with the peak traction at the start of separation process. The stress and strain fields in the plastic zone, and the cohesive traction and separation displacement in the cohesive zone are obtained. The results show that for a modest hardening material (with a hardening exponent N = 0.3), the stress distribution in a large portion of the plastic zone is significantly altered with the introduction of the cohesive zone if the peak cohesive traction is less than two times yield stress, which implies the disparity in terms of the fracture prediction between the classical approach of elastic–plastic fracture mechanics and the cohesive zone approach. The stress distributions with and without the cohesive zone converge when the peak cohesive traction becomes infinitely large. A qualitative study on the equivalency between the cohesive zone approach and the classical linear elastic fracture mechanics indicates that smaller cracks require a higher peak cohesive traction than that for longer cracks if similar fracture initiations are to be predicted by the two approaches.     

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.      

近场动力学在断裂力学领域的研究进展

近场动力学采用非局部积分计算节点内力, 利用统一数学框架描述空间连续与非连续, 避免了非连续区局部空间导数引起的应力奇异, 数值上具有无网格属性, 可自然模拟材料结构的断裂问题. 本文概述了近场动力学的弹性本构力模型, 系统介绍了近场动力学临界伸长率、临界能量密度以及材料强度相关的键失效准则. 详细介绍了近场动力学在断裂力学领域的研究进展, 包括断裂参数能量释放率与应力强度因子的求解、J积分、混合型裂纹、弹塑性断裂、黏聚力模型、动态断裂、材料界面断裂以及疲劳裂纹扩展等. 最后讨论了断裂问题近场动力学研究的发展方向.      

On the mechanics of mother-of-pearl: A key feature in the material hierarchical structure

Mother-of-pearl, also known as nacre, is the iridescent material which forms the inner layer of seashells from gastropods and bivalves. It is mostly made of microscopic ceramic tablets densely packed and bonded together by a thin layer of biopolymer. The hierarchical microstructure of this biological material is the result of millions of years of evolution, and it is so well organized that its strength and toughness are far superior to the ceramic it is made of. In this work the structure of nacre is described over several length scales. The tablets were found to have wavy surfaces, which were observed and quantified using various experimental techniques. Tensile and shear tests performed on small samples revealed that nacre can withstand relatively large inelastic strains and exhibits strain hardening. In this article we argue that the inelastic mechanism responsible for this behavior is sliding of the tablets on one another accompanied by transverse expansion in the direction perpendicular to the tablet planes. Three dimensional representative volume elements, based on the identified nacre microstructure and incorporating cohesive elements with a constitutive response consistent with the interface material and nanoscale features were numerically analyzed. The simulations revealed that even in the absence of nanoscale hardening mechanism at the interfaces, the microscale waviness of the tablets could generate strain hardening, thereby spreading the inelastic deformation and suppressing damage localization leading to material instability. The formation of large regions of inelastic deformations around cracks and defects in nacre are believed to be an important contribution to its toughness. In addition, it was shown that the tablet junctions (vertical junctions between tablets) strengthen the microstructure but do not contribute to the overall material hardening. Statistical variations within the microstructure were found to be beneficial to hardening and to the overall mechanical stability of nacre. These results provide new insights into the microstructural features that make nacre tough and damage tolerant. Based on these findings, some design guidelines for composites mimicking nacre are proposed.     

Dynamics of viscoelastoplastic soil under a moving wheel

A rate-dependent inelastic behavior or viscoelastoplastic behavior of soil subjected to dynamic loading of a moving rigid wheel is studied herein. A rational approach to this seemingly complex problem is treated in the context of continuum mechanics. Together with the concept of critical state soil mechanics for inelastic behavior we incorporate the so-called internal state variables for viscous effects. It is assumed that the free energy functional containing inelastic behavior may not be smooth for its entire domain of time histories. Rather, we assume a form of discretized free energy as a function of elastic strains, plastic strains, and internal or hidden variables of incremental quantity considered to be valid only for a small time interval or a fraction of loading increments. The finite element method is used to derive governing equations of motion. Exhaustive numerical examples are presented to demonstrate effectiveness of the present method.     

Determination of the size of the representative volume element for random quasi-brittle composites

A representative volume element (RVE) is related to the domain size of a microstructure providing a “good” statistical representation of typical material properties. The size of an RVE for the class of quasi-brittle random heterogeneous materials under dynamic loading is one of the major questions to be answered in this paper. A new statistical strategy is thus proposed for the RVE size determination. The microstructure illustrating the methodology of the RVE size determination is a metal matrix composite with randomly distributed aligned brittle inclusions: the hydrided Zircaloy constituting nuclear claddings. For a given volume fraction of inclusions, the periodic RVE size is found in the case of overall elastic properties and of overall fracture energy. In the latter case, the term “representative” is discussed since the fracture tends to localize. A correlation factor between the “elastic” RVE and the “fracture” RVE is discussed.     

构元组集模型对结构弹性损伤至断裂过程的描述及与内聚区模型的比较

结构的响应实质上是材料的响应,宏观结构损伤至断裂的发展过程也是材料性质不断演化的结果。构元组集模型从材料的微观物理变形机制出发,基于对泛函势理论和Cauchy-Born准则,抽象出两种构元——弹簧束构元和体积构元。在微观层次上,结构损伤和断裂的实质都是原子间键合力减弱和丧失的结果,而弹簧束构元是同一方向上的原子键的抽象,因此损伤可以通过弹簧束构元的响应曲线来反映。组集两种构元的响应,建立了材料的弹性损伤本构关系,从而能一致描述材料从弹性到损伤、破坏的发展过程。将构元组集模型的本构关系嵌入ABAQUS的用户材料单元子程序UMAT,实现对结构响应的数值模拟。本文模拟了包含中心预制裂纹三点弯曲梁的裂纹扩展过程,并与内聚区模型比较,给出了内聚区模型所假设的应力——位移关系曲线,并从材料损伤演化的角度对材料裂纹扩展过程做出了物理解释。     

界面裂纹萌生与扩展的分子动力学模拟

运用分子动力学模拟方法研究了裂纹在界面端处萌生与沿界面扩展的临界条件. 模拟考虑了一双相材料的3种模型,即构成90°/90°和 90°/180°夹角的两个界面端和一个界面裂纹. 模拟采用了包含原子区域与连续区域的并发型多尺度模型,即在界面端尖端和裂纹尖端附近 采用分子动力学(MD)方法,MD区域之外则按照线弹性有限元方法分析. 结果表明,在断裂启动时刻,3个模型沿界面的最大应力均达到界面理想强度;而且,其界 面能恰好足以克服界面材料的本征内聚能. 因此,界面端裂纹萌生与沿界面扩展的断裂条件可以通过界面理想强度和内聚能联系起来. 并基于模拟计算结果提出了界面断裂启动的统一准则.