Dispersion of rigid line inclusions as stiffeners and shear band instability triggers

A dispersion of stiff and thin (‘rigid line’) inclusions (RLIs) in a matrix material may result beneficial for stiffening in the elastic range, but might be detrimental to strength, as material instabilities may be triggered by inclusions when the matrix is brought to a viscoplastic-damaging state. This dual role of RLIs is investigated by...

On the applicability of linear elastic fracture mechanics scaling relations in the analysis of intergranular fracture of brittle polycrystals

Crack propagation in polycrystalline specimens is studied by means of a generalized finite element method with linear elastic isotropic grains and cohesive grain boundaries. The corresponding mode-I intergranular cracks are characterized using a grain boundary brittleness criterion that depends on cohesive law parameters and average grain...

Bridging Scales with a Generalized Finite Element Method

The generalized FEM (GFEM) has been successfully applied to the simulation of dynamic propagating fractures, polycrystalline and fiber-reinforced microstructures, porous materials, etc. A-priori knowledge about the solution of these problems are used in the definition of their GFEM approximation spaces. This leads to more accurate and robust...

Analysis of intergranular crack propagation in brittle polycrystals with a generalized finite element method and network algorithm

Two different approaches to intergranular crack propagation in brittle polycrystals are contrasted. Crack paths resulting from a method that allows a detailed description of the stress field within a polycrystal are compared to cracks dictated by topological considerations. In the first approach, a fracture path is determined with a Generalized...

Continuous-Discontinuous Modelling of Failure

The foundations of a safe structural design lie on the understanding of failure processes of engineering materials and in their correct representation. In a numerical context, failure representation in engineering materials can be pursued either in a continuous or in a discontinuous setting. Both approaches can model certain failure modes, but...