Material Failure Criteria Research Articles

A novel three dimensional failure criterion for quasi-brittle materials based on multi-scale damage approach

In this paper, we propose a novel three-dimensional micromechanics-based failure criterion to assess the load-bearing capacity of quasi-brittle materials under complex multiaxial stress conditions. This criterion not only inherits benefits of the multi-scale friction-damage coupling modeling approach but also accounts for the effect of the intermediate principal stress. Physically, the initiation and propagation of microcracks contribute to the damage, and the failure of the material ultimately occurs due to the unstable growth of microcracks. Simultaneously, plastic deformation, which results from frictional sliding along microcracks, is intimately coupled with the damage process. Employing friction-damage coupling up-scale analyses and introducing a novel parabolic local frictional law, we derive a new nonlinear compression meridian criterion within the upscaling framework. Moreover, by incorporating a Lode dependence function, this criterion effectively addresses variations in strength induced by the intermediate principal stress. To validate this criterion, we utilize data from triaxial compression, triaxial extension, and true triaxial tests conducted on various rock materials and concrete, all of which demonstrate excellent agreement.

A Revised Abaqus® Procedure for Fracture Path Simulation Based on the Material Effort Criterion.

This paper presents the results of computer simulations of fracture in three laboratory tests: the three-point bending of a notched beam cut from sandstone, the pull-out test of a self-undercutting anchor fixed in sandstone, and the pull-out test of a bar embedded in concrete. Five material failure criteria were used: Rankine, Coulomb-Mohr, Drucker-Prager, Ottosen-Podgórski, and Hoek-Brown. These criteria were implemented in the Abaqus® FEA system to work with the crack propagation modeling method-extended finite element method (X-FEM). All criteria yielded similar force-displacement relationships and similar crack path shapes. The improved procedure gives significantly better, close-to-real crack propagation paths than can be obtained using the standard subroutines built into the Abaqus® system.

Concrete Aggregate-Gradation Effect and Strength-Criterion Modification for Fully Graded Hydraulic Concrete.

Utilization of large aggregates can promote energy conservation and emissions reductions, and large aggregates have been widely used in hydraulic concrete. The failure criterion for concrete material utilizing large aggregates forms the basis for constitutive models and structural design. However, the concrete failure criterion with respect to large aggregates has never been researched. To this end, the authors first conducted a series of triaxial compressive tests on concrete specimens with scaled aggregates. On this basis, several 3D mesoscopic numerical models were established with different aggregate gradations and used to simulate the triaxial compressive behaviors of hydraulic concrete after the models had been verified by experimental results. The results showed a pronounced aggregate-gradation effect on triaxial compressive behaviors, and concrete mixes with larger aggregates usually have higher compressive strength, especially under conditions of higher confinement. The normalized peak strength can increase by up to 23.49%. Finally, based on the available testing data, the strength criterion in different constitutive models is discussed and modified to allow more accurate simulation of the dynamic responses of and damage to fully graded concrete structures. This result can provide a theoretical basis on which construction entities can optimize the mix proportions of fully graded concrete and detect the failure modes of concrete structures.

Stress or strain?

This article is intended to reconcile the stress-based and strain-based formulations for material failure criteria, where a long-standing and deep division is present. The two approaches do not naturally agree with each other, and they do not genuinely complement each other, either. Most popular criteria are stress-based when originally proposed, including the maximum stress, Tresca, von Mises, Raghava–Caddell–Yeh and the Mohr criteria. Their formulations are unique and self-consistent, i.e. capable of reproducing the input data. Their strain-based counterparts, with the maximum strain criterion being considered as the strain-based counterpart of the maximum stress criterion, are neither unique nor necessarily self-consistent. It has been proven in this article that the self-consistent ones reproduce their respective stress-based counterparts identically in effect with a disadvantage of requiring an additional material property to apply, without a single benefit. For the Mohr criterion as a special case, a strain-based counterpart is simply infeasible in general. All undesirable features of strain-based criteria are rooted in a single source: the failure strains can only be measured under a uniaxial stress state, which corresponds to a combined strain state in general, not a uniaxial strain state! Given the arguments presented, the reconciliation proves to be biased completely towards the stress-based side if mathematics, logic and common sense prevail over perception and prejudice.

Aeronautical composite/metal bolted joint and its mechanical properties: a review

PurposeBolted joint is the most important connection method in aircraft composite/metal stacked connections due to its large load transfer capacity and high manufacturing reliability. Aircraft components are subjected to complex hybrid variable loads during service, and the mechanical properties of composite/metal bolted joint directly affect the overall safety of aircraft structures. Research on composite/metal bolted joint and their mechanical properties has also become a topic of general interests. This article reviews the current research status of aeronautical composite/metal bolted joint and its mechanical properties and looks forward to future research directions.Design/methodology/approachThis article reviews the research progress on static strength failure and fatigue failure of composite/metal bolted joint, focusing on exploring failure analysis and prediction methods from the perspective of the theoretical models. At the same time, the influence and correlation mechanism of hole-making quality and assembly accuracy on the mechanical properties of their connections are summarized from the hole-making processes and damage of composite/metal stacked structures.FindingsThe progressive damage analysis method can accurately analyze and predict the static strength failure of composite/metal stacked bolted joint structures by establishing a stress analysis model combined with composite material performance degradation schemes and failure criteria. The use of mature metal material fatigue cumulative damage models and composite material fatigue progressive damage analysis methods can effectively predict the fatigue of composite/metal bolted joints. The geometric errors such as aperture accuracy and holes perpendicularity have the most significant impact on the connection performance, and their mechanical responses mainly include ultimate strength, bearing stiffness, secondary bending effect and fatigue life.Research limitations/implicationsCurrent research on the theoretical prediction of the mechanical properties of composite/metal bolted joints is mainly based on ideal fits with no gaps or uniform gaps in the thickness direction, without considering the hole shape characteristics generated by stacked drilling. At the same time, the service performance evaluation of composite/metal stacked bolted joints structures is currently limited to static strength and fatigue failure tests of the sample-level components and needs to be improved and verified in higher complexity structures. At the same time, it also needs to be extended to the mechanical performance research under more complex forms of the external loads in more environments.Originality/valueThe mechanical performance of the connection structure directly affects the overall structural safety of the aircraft. Many scholars actively explore the theoretical prediction methods for static strength and fatigue failure of composite/metal bolted joints as well as the impact of hole-making accuracy on their mechanical properties. This article provides an original overview of the current research status of aeronautical composite/metal bolted joint and its mechanical properties, with a focus on exploring the failure analysis and prediction methods from the perspective of theoretical models for static strength and fatigue failure of composite/metal bolt joints and looks forward to future research directions.

Stress invariants and invariants of the failure envelope as a quadric surface: Their significances in the formulation of a rational failure criterion

When stress invariants up to the second order are employed to construct failure criterion for brittle materials, it involves three independent terms and therefore there are three coefficients to be determined. However, there are only two conditions available associated with the strengths under uniaxial tension and compression. Systematic examinations have given to the invariants of the failure envelope as a quadric surface according to analytic geometry. For the failure envelope to meet the basic assumptions, in particular, infinite strength under and only under hydrostatic compression, one of the coefficients can be eliminated based on rigorous mathematical inferences. As a result, it reproduces the Raghava-Caddell-Yeh criterion, which has never been rationally established before but is now in this paper. The failure envelope takes the form of circular paraboloid for brittle materials in general. The criterion degenerates to the von Mises criterion, giving a circular cylindrical failure envelope for ductile materials as a special case. It is as rational as the von Mises criterion in the sense that the assumptions made and the conditions available are logically sufficient for the complete establishment of the failure criterion without any ambiguity.

Mechanical properties of recycled aggregate concrete reinforced with steel fibers under triaxial loading

The use of steel fiber reinforced recycled concrete (SFRAC) can help achieve resourceful reuse of construction waste and environmental sustainability. However, SFRAC structural members may experience complex stress states. Therefore, triaxial compression tests were conducted on 168 cylindrical SFRAC specimens to investigate their mechanical properties. The failure modes, stress-strain behavior, strength, and deformation of SFRAC under triaxial compression were observed. The effects of lateral confining pressure, steel fiber (SF) content, and recycled coarse aggregate (RA) replacement rate on these properties were analyzed. The internal micro-morphology of SFRAC was analyzed using SEM to better understand its failure mechanism under compression. The result shows that an increase in lateral confining pressure alters the failure mode of SFRAC specimens, resulting in a significant increase in peak strength and ductility. The enhancement of the elastic modulus by steel fibers decreases as the lateral confining pressure increases, suggesting a coupling effect between the two parameters. The inclusion of steel fibers in SFRAC did not have a significant impact on its failure mode or compressive strength. And yet, it did increase the ductility and toughness of the material, with an optimal steel fiber content of 1 % (by volume). On the other hand, the addition of recycled coarse aggregate resulted in a significant reduction in the concrete's compressive strength, by almost 17 %. Finally, several common material failure criteria for concrete were used to evaluate the impact of RA substitution rate and SF content on the strength of SFRAC. The Willam-Warnke failure criterion showed a higher strength. These findings provide a theoretical basis for future engineering applications of SFRAC.

A failure criterion for genuinely orthotropic materials and integration of a series of criteria for materials of different degrees of anisotropy.

Existing failure criteria for orthotropic materials are subject to an underlying assumption which cause contradictions when applied to genuinely orthotropic materials that are significantly anisotropic in elasticity as well as in strengths. For such materials, there is lack of consistent failure criteria to support their applications in engineering structures. A general quadratic failure criterion tends to leave undetermined coefficients for interactive terms. A rational approach is adopted in this paper based on mathematical and logical considerations to determine these coefficients as the objective of this paper. Considerations are based on the intrinsic characteristics of the quadric surfaces introduced by the quadratic failure criterion. These coefficients must take the values as obtained, leaving no alternatives if logic prevails. The obtained criterion integrates for the first time a range of criteria separately formulated for materials of different degrees of anisotropy, from genuinely orthotropic, through transversely isotropic, cubically symmetric, to completely isotropic ones with different or identical tensile and compression strengths.

Performance analysis of various numerical methods for predicting monopile response under machine induced vibration

In this study, we verify the accuracy of the results obtained using two different numerical methods to simulate a pile-supported machine foundation under vertical vibration. To achieve this, finite element and finite difference methods, available as PLAXIS 3D and FLAC 3D, respectively, are selected for the study. A model consisting of a monopile with a diameter of 0.166 m and a length of 5.8 m is modelled to support the vibratory load induced by the rotary machine. A linear elastic model is used for the pile material and Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion is used for the soil. An analysis is performed to determine the frequency-versus-amplitude response of the monopile subjected to rotary-machine-induced vertical vibrations with different dynamic load intensities (0.735, 1.448, 2.117, and 2.721 Nm). The results obtained from both numerical analyses are compared with the experimental results available in the literature. Both numerical methods effectively simulate the nonlinear behavior of the soil-pile system, as observed in the experimental results. Based on the results, it is deduced that the finite element method simulated more harmonious results than the finite difference method compared with the experimental results, with more computational efficiency.

Initiation and growth of fatigue cracks in sheets with U-shaped notches in the first and mixed modes of fracture

Initiation and growth of fatigue cracks in sheets with U-shaped notches in the first and mixed modes of fracture

Tribological properties of a novel iron‐based self‐lubricating composite

AbstractIn this work, the tribological properties of a novel iron‐based self‐lubricating composite as the tribopairs of a plunger pump were systematically studied on an end‐face tribometer, and the tribological mechanism was also revealed. The results show that the wear mechanism of the composite can be ascribed to adhesive wear when the sliding speed is lower than 1.5 m/s. As the sliding speed increases from 1.5 to 2.0 m/s, the wear type transforms to oxidative wear due to the increase of tribo‐oxidation. In addition, the failure criteria of the tribopair composite materials are summarised. When the average coefficient of friction is greater than 0.04, or the wear rate is greater than 9.66 μm3/(N m), the tribopair fails. This offers a valuable reference for industrial application of the tribopairs made from the iron‐based self‐lubricating composite.

Temperature Effects on Critical Energy Release Rate for Aluminum and Titanium Alloys

This work investigates temperature’s effect on the critical energy release rate using damage mechanics material models and the element deletion method. The energy release rate describes the decrease in total potential energy per increase in crack surface area. The critical energy release rate is widely used as the failure criterion for various elastic and plastic materials. In real-life scenarios, fractures may occur at different temperatures. The temperature dependency of the critical energy release rate for aluminum 2024-T351 and titanium Ti-6Al-4V is studied in this work. We utilized test-data-based advanced material models of these two alloys, considering the strain rate, temperature, and state of stress for plasticity and failure. These material models are used to simulate a three-dimensional fracture specimen to find the critical energy release rate at different temperatures. A new method to calculate the critical energy release rate with the element deletion method is introduced and verified with the virtual crack opening method. This method enables the calculation of the energy release rate in a classical damage mechanics simulation for dynamic cack propagation. The simulation result indicates that the critical energy release rate increases with rising temperatures for these alloys.

Strength-based topology optimisation of anisotropic continua in a CAD-compatible framework

In this paper, a new method to address strength-based topology optimisation (TO) problems is proposed. Specifically, failure criteria for anisotropic materials are integrated into a TO algorithm making use of Non-Uniform Rational Basis Spline (NURBS) hyper-surfaces to represent the pseudo-density field describing the topology of the continuum, thus providing solutions that can be easily exported to any computer-aided design software. The notion of failure load factor is introduced to obtain optimised topologies that do not depend on the magnitude of the applied loads. A unified formulation of the main phenomenological criteria for anisotropic materials, i.e., Tsai–Wu, Hoffman and Tsai–Hill criteria, is used and typical issues related to stress-based TO problems, such as local behaviour and singularity of stresses, are handled thanks to: the properties of NURBS blending functions, a special adaptive χ-norm aggregation function that avoids overflow/underflow issues, and a modified pq relaxation approach. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is demonstrated on 2D and 3D problems. A sensitivity analysis of the optimised topologies to the integer parameters involved in the definition of the NURBS entity is performed. Moreover, the influence of the penalisation scheme used for the elasticity and the stress tensors, the failure criterion, and the orientation of the material on the optimal solution is also investigated.

Numerical study of chain-reaction implosions in a spatial array of ceramic pressure hulls in the deep sea using a compressible multiphase flow model

Ceramic pressure hull arrays, which are core components in providing buoyancy to underwater vehicles, are at risk of chain-reaction implosions in deep-sea environments. This study establishes a numerical model for the chain-reaction implosions of ceramic pressure hull arrays. The model is based on the theory of compressible multiphase flow. The structural finite element method combined with the ceramic material failure criterion is used to determine the cause of chain-reaction implosions. Adaptive mesh refinement is adopted to capture the gas–liquid interface accurately. The accuracy of the numerical simulation method for compressible multiphase flow is verified through an implosion experiment involving a single ceramic pressure hull. Subsequently, the simultaneous implosions of an array of ceramic pressure hulls are calculated and investigated. Finally, the chain-reaction implosions of an array of ceramic pressure hulls are calculated using the proposed model. The propagation of the implosion shockwaves and the implosion flow field distribution are analyzed and compared with those of the simultaneous implosion case. The pressure reduction in the flow field caused by the expansion waves of the implosion is found to cause the chain-reaction implosion of neighboring ceramic pressure hulls. In the chain-reaction process, the air converges at the array center, and the implosion shockwaves converge toward the center and overlap, resulting in the largest-amplitude implosion shockwave occurring near the center of the array. This phenomenon is named the converging effect of chain-reaction implosions.

A novel three-dimensional nonlinear unified failure criterion for rock materials

A novel three-dimensional nonlinear unified failure criterion for rock materials

Experimental investigation and numerical modeling on mechanical behavior of highly porous cement-based material: An overview

This paper presents an overview of recent developments in experimental investigation and numerical modeling of highly porous cement-based materials, focusing on traditional Portland cement (PC) and geopolymer foam concrete. It starts by introducing the advantages of using highly porous cement-based materials compared to their dense counterparts and then delves into the properties of PC and geopolymer foam concrete. The first part of the review is dedicated to the experimental investigation, including mixture proportions, foaming methods, mechanical properties and air-void systems. This part also summarizes and discusses various strength prediction models for foam concrete that were drawn from experimental data. The second part of the review is dedicated to the computational methods used to simulate porous materials, and attention is focused on continuum-based and discrete-based approaches. Finally, the failure mechanism of porous cement-based materials is discussed, along with comparing the failure criteria for both dense and porous cement-based materials.

Study on Failure Criteria and the Numerical Simulation Method of a Coal-Based Carbon Foam under Multiaxial Loading

Coal-based carbon foam (CCF) has broad application prospects in aerospace, composite material tooling and other fields. However, the lack of failure criteria limits its promotion. In previous studies, the failure criteria of similar materials were proposed, but there are some limitations. This paper proposes improved failure criteria based on macro-mechanical tests. Furthermore, uniaxial and multiaxial loading tests were carried out to obtain accurate failure criteria of CCF. Finally, 3-points bending tests of the CCF sandwich structure were conducted and their finite element models (FEMs) were established. The CCF test results show that the mechanical properties of CCF are transversely isotropic. The failure criteria in this paper can accurately predict the stress when the CCF fails. The error band boundary formula caused by the dispersion of the material were also given. The maximum load Pmax calculated by the failure surface (3684 N) was only 4.7% larger than the mean value measured by the test (3518 N), and all of the Pmax measured by the test (3933 N, 3640 N, 3657 N, 3269 N, 3091 N) were between the maximum value (4297 N) and minimum value (3085 N) calculated by the error band boundary formula, which means that the failure criteria have good precision.

Comprehensive investigations on the relationship between the 3D concrete printing failure criterion and properties of fresh-state cementitious materials

Comprehensive investigations on the relationship between the 3D concrete printing failure criterion and properties of fresh-state cementitious materials

Retracted: Breaking Stress Criterion That Changes Everything We Know about Materials Failure

The perennial deficiencies of the failure models in the materials field have profoundly and significantly impacted all associated technical fields that depend on accurate failure predictions. The heart of this study is the presentation of a methodology that identifies a newly derived one-parameter criterion as the only general failure theory for noncompressible, homogeneous, and isotropic materials subjected to multiaxial states of stress and various boundary conditions, providing the solution to this longstanding problem. This theory is the counterpart and companion piece to the theory of elasticity and is in a formalism that is suitable for broad application. Utilizing advanced finite-element analysis, the maximum internal breaking stress corresponding to the maximum applied external force is identified as a unified and universal material failure criterion for determining the structural capacity of any system, regardless of its geometry or architecture. A comparison between the proposed criterion and methodology against design codes reveals that current provisions may underestimate the structural capacity by 2.17 times or overestimate the capacity by 2.096 times. It also shows that existing standards may underestimate the structural capacity by 1.4 times or overestimate the capacity by 2.49 times. The proposed failure criterion and methodology will pave the way for a new era in designing unconventional structural systems composed of unconventional materials.

Failure criterion for brittle materials with U‐notches: Unification of characteristic length‐based and grain size‐based criteria

AbstractHere, the limitations of characteristic length‐based (Lchb) and grain size‐based (Gb) criteria with two or three parameters were pointed out employing the apparent toughness tests of 12 different ceramics at a large span range of U‐notch root radius (ρ) values. After comprehensively considering the potential influencing factors of stress intensity factor (Kc), ρ divided by critical notch tip radius (ρc) was proposed as the independent variable, and the data of 21 materials (covering ceramics, plastics, resins, rocks, and metals) was summarized and discussed to establish a simple and more applicable Kc prediction model. Results indicated that Kc/KIc was a power function of ρ/ρc with a power exponent n of 0.5 for ideal materials and less than 0.5 for actual materials. It was also found that ρc can be calculated simply by KIc2/(πσ02), where σ0 represented the inherent strength. This semiempirical criterion succeeded in unifying the Lchb and Gb criteria without introducing more parameters to increase the prediction accuracy of the Kc at the U‐notch root for brittle materials like ceramics.