A hybrid thermo-mechanical phase-field model for anisotropic brittle fracture

Abstract

The phase-field modeling approach is integrated with the isogeometric-meshfree approach to investigate the coupled thermo-mechanical fracture behaviors of composite materials, accounting for material anisotropy. The present approach is formulated within a thermodynamic framework, exploring the effects of both thermal and mechanical factors on crack evolution. The crack driving force in composites is determined by the collective contributions from both fibers and the matrix. Moreover, a hybrid computational framework, enhanced with an adaptive mesh refinement technique, is proposed for the efficient implementation of thermo-mechanical fracture. Finally, simulations of the thermal deformation and fracture processes in both homogeneous and composite materials are implemented to verify the present approach. The impact of the weak material anisotropy, such as anisotropic thermal conductivity and material strength, along with the strong anisotropy coefficient on fracture patterns in orthotropic composites is also investigated. The simulation results demonstrate that the developed approach can predict complex failure patterns in composites under thermo-mechanical loading, thus offering insights for the design of composites.