Methods for the prediction of fatigue delamination growth in composites and adhesive bonds: A critical review

An overview is given of the development of methods for the prediction of fatigue driven delamination growth over the past 40 years. Four categories of methods are identified: stress/strain-based models, fracture mechanics based models, cohesive-zone models, and models using the extended finite element method. It is highlighted that most models...

How proper similitude can improve our understanding of crack closure and plasticity in fatigue

The appropriateness of some common similitude principles with respect to describing and predicting fatigue damage propagation is discussed. Linear elastic fracture mechanics have provided a basis to describe damage growth using stress intensity factors or strain energy release rates, both related to the work of Griffith and Irwin. The fatigue...

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...

Prediction of Fatigue Crack Propagation in Orthotropic Steel Decks using XFEM based on LEFM and VCCT

Orthotropic Steel Decks (OSDs) are widely used in various types of steel bridges due to their benefits of light weight, high load bearing capacity and speedy construction. Although many improvements in aspects of design, fabrication, inspection, and maintenance have been achieved over the years for such bridge decks, fatigue remains a...

A Discontinuity-enriched Finite Element Method for Dynamic Fracture in Brittle Materials

The computational modeling of crack propagation is important in aerospace and automotive industries because cracks play a significant role in structural failure. In comparison with the quasi-static case, inertial effects are significant in dynamic crack propagation. The classical numerical tool for modeling dynamic crack propagation is the...

On tailoring fracture resistance of brittle structures: A level set interface-enriched topology optimization approach

We propose a fully immersed topology optimization procedure to design structures with tailored fracture resistance under linear elastic fracture mechanics assumptions for brittle materials. We use a level set function discretized by radial basis functions to represent the topology and the Interface-enriched Generalized Finite Element Method ...

Enriched finite element methods for fracture-based analysis and design

Cracks, which could nucleate and propagate in engineering structures, could have an adverse effect on mechanical performance and even lead to catastrophic failure. Thus, it is critical to investigate structural behavior under fracture, which requires an appropriate modeling methodology for fracture analysis. Furthermore, designing structures...

A Discontinuity-Enriched Finite Element Method for Dynamic Multiple Crack Growth in Brittle Materials

This thesis introduces the Discontinuity-Enriched Finite Element Method (DE-FEM) for the modeling of dynamic multiple crack growth problems including branching and merging, as an alternative to eXtended/Generalized Finite Element Method (X/GFEM). DE-FEM differs from X/GFEM by placing the enriched degrees of freedom (DOFs) directly along the...