Bifurcation and damage localisation in a softening interface

Abstract

We focus on the localisation at an interface that is connected to an elastic block. This aim is reached by using two approaches: the first one is based on a discrete model for the interface and a hierarchical description of the elastic block. The second one is based on classical continuum approach and a boundary element method for the elastic block representation. We look at damage growing into interface, and at localisation process before failure. We show that the localisation progressively concentrates damage from the entire interface to a narrow region. For the discrete approach, i.e. when random heterogeneities are introduced, the localisation proceeds by a sequence of avalanches. In both cases, the analysis of size effects is obtained.