The phase-field approach as a tool for experimental validations in fracture mechanics

Abstract

In a phase-field approach to fracture crack propagation is modeled by means of an additional continuous field. In this paper, two problems of linear elastic fracture mechanics are studied experimentally and numerically in order to evaluate the practicability of the phase-field approach and to validate the measured parameters. At first, a three-point bending experiment of silicon dies is simulated assuming static plate bending. Then, wave propagation and spallation in a Hopkinson bar test are analyzed in a dynamic regime. The simulations show that phase-field fracture reproduces the experimental results with high accuracy. The results are comparable to other fracture simulations, e.g., the cohesive element technique. In total, the phase-field approach to fracture is capable of tracking crack evolution in a very convenient and quantitatively correct way.