Three‐dimensional cohesive modeling of dynamic mixed‐mode fracture

Abstract

A cohesive formulation of fracture is taken as a basis for the simulation of processes of combined tension-shear damage and mixed-mode fracture in specimens subjected to dynamic loading. Our three-dimensional finite-element calculations account explicitly for crack nucleation, microcracking, the development of macroscopic cracks and inertia. In particular, a tension-shear damage coupling arises as a direct consequence of slanted microcrack formation in the process zone. We validate the model against the three-point-bend concrete beam experiments of Guo et al. (International Journal of Solids and Structures 1995; 32(17/18):2951–2607), John (PhD Thesis, Northwestern University, 1988), and John and Shah (Journal of Structural Engineering 1990; 116(3):585–602) in which a pre-crack is shifted from the central cross-section, leading to asymmetric loading conditions and the development of a mixed-mode process zone. The model accurately captures the experimentally observed fracture patterns and displacement fields, as well as crack paths and crack-tip velocities, as a function of pre-crack geometry and loading conditions. In particular, it correctly accounts for the competition between crack-growth and nucleation mechanisms.