Experimental validation of a phase-field model for fracture

Abstract

Simulations from a numerical implementation of the phase-field model for brittle fracture are compared against analytical and experimental results in order to explore the verification and validation of the method. It is found that while the intrinsic length scale associated with the phase-field model can be set arbitrarily, the scale of the fracture process zone, and the scale at which the elastic field attains the corresponding analytical brittle fracture limit could be substantially larger than this intrinsic length. It is demonstrated that with a suitable choice of this length scale, phase-field simulations can provide valid predictions of the growth of cracks in quasi-static brittle fracture.