Work

An adaptive cohesive interface model for fracture propagation analysis in heterogeneous media

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: The present work aims to develop a numerical model that combines the moving mesh technique and the cohesive zone model, able to predict the crack onset and propagation in quasi-brittle materials characterized by a heterogeneous microstructure. After establishing the fracture propagation direction by means of a stress criterion, the crack segment is aligned with the chosen direction via the Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) formulation. Subsequently, the cohesive interface elements are dynamically introduced in an adaptive way along the mesh boundaries, supplied with a specific traction-separation law, and considering the presence of material discontinuities able to capture the complex failure mechanisms associated with them. The main feature of the proposed model is that no re-meshing procedures are needed for the crack onset and propagation, thus reducing the computational costs of the simulations and avoiding all the mesh dependency problems typically of the classical cohesive approaches. The results show the reliability of the numerical model in forecasting the crack growth in a-priori unknown paths.

Source: Engineering Fracture Mechanics

DOI: 10.1016/j.engfracmech.2025.111330

Authors: Umberto De Maio, Daniele Gaetano, Fabrizio Greco, Paolo Lonetti, Andrea Pranno

Institutions: University of Calabria, Pegaso University

Language: English

Topic: Numerical methods in engineering

Subfield: Mechanics of Materials

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,120

Funders: Ministero dell'Università e della Ricerca, NextGenerationEU