Phase Field Modeling Of Fracture Research Articles

A phase field fracture model for ultra-thin micro-/nano-films with surface effects

Surface effects usually remarkably affect the mechanical response of ultra-thin micro-/nano-structures. However, the mechanisms of surface effects on the fracture characteristics of ultra-thin films are still not fully understood. To this end, this paper develops a modeling framework to investigate the fracture of ultra-thin films at microscales or below. Such a framework couples the Gurtin–Murdoch theory with a phase-field fracture model, in which the former is adopted to introduce the surface effects, i.e., the surface residual stress and surface elasticity of a thin film, and the latter is able to model crack evolution without requiring predefined crack paths or any criteria. Furthermore, a novel crack driving force is introduced, which encompasses the tensile components of both bulk elastic energy and surface elastic energy. Several numerical examples including the biaxial tension test as well as the single-edge notched tension/shear test are performed. The simulation results indicate that the surface strain energy plays a major role in the total elastic strain energy of an ultra-thin film when its thickness is at a micro level, thus demonstrating the significance of surface effects. Moreover, the mode-I fracture test shows that the surface elasticity and surface residual stress have a remarkable influence on the displacement at failure, while for the mode-II fracture test, the surface residual stress significantly influences the fracture characteristics such as the crack path and failure displacement. The developed model paves the way for revealing the fracture mechanisms of ultra-thin micro-/nano-films and conducting their safety assessment.

Phase-field description of fracture in NiTi single crystals

A phase-field model for thermomechanically-induced fracture in NiTi at the single crystal level, i.e., fracture under loading paths that may take advantage of either of the functional properties of NiTi–superelasticity or shape memory effect–, is presented, formulated within the kinematically linear regime. The model accounts for reversible phase transformation from austenite to martensite habit plane variants and plastic deformation in the austenite phase. Transformation-induced plastic deformation is viewed as a mechanism for accommodation of the local deformation incompatibility at the austenite–martensite interfaces and is accounted for by introducing an interaction term in the free energy derived based on the Mori–Tanaka and Kröner micromechanical assumptions and the hypothesis of martensite instantaneous growth within austenite. Based on experimental observations suggesting that NiTi fractures in a stress-controlled manner, damage is assumed to be driven by the elastic energy, i.e., phase transformation and plastic deformation are assumed to contribute in crack formation and growth indirectly through stress redistribution. The model is restricted to quasistatic mechanical loading (no latent heat effects), thermal loading sufficiently slow with respect to the time rate of heat transfer by conduction (no thermal gradients), and a temperature range below Md, which is the temperature above which the austenite phase is stable, i.e., stress-induced martensitic transformation is suppressed. The numerical implementation of the model is based on an efficient scheme of viscous regularization in both phase transformation and plastic deformation, an explicit numerical integration via a tangent modulus method, and a staggered scheme for the coupling of the unknown fields. The model is shown able to capture transformation-induced toughening, i.e., stable crack advance attributed to the shielding effect of inelastic deformation left in the wake of the growing crack under nominal isothermal loading, actuation-induced fracture under a constant bias load, and crystallographic dependence on crack pattern.

Two different micro-polar phase-field models for brittle fracture and their open-source finite element implementation

Realizing the limitations of classical phase-field fracture models and the need for the development of non-local phase-field models that can capture the experimentally observed size effects in brittle and quasi-brittle materials, we propose thermodynamically consistent volumetric-deviatoric and spectral decomposition-based phase-field models (PFMs) for brittle fracture in micro-polar continua. For developing the proposed models, we have considered the micro-rotation as an additional kinematic descriptor, and have derived the balance equations by invoking the virtual power principle. On satisfying the thermodynamic laws, we have determined the constitutive relations for the thermodynamic fluxes and demonstrated that any dissipative effect can easily be incorporated into the proposed models. We have provided an open-source finite element (FE) implementation of the micro-polar PFMs using Gridap in Julia. The implementation includes various benchmark problems to illustrate how the responses in a specimen change with the variations in micro-polar material parameters. Through a series of numerical examples with different values of micro-polar material parameters, we have showcased both the capabilities and limitations of the proposed volumetric-deviatoric and spectral decomposition-based micro-polar PFMs.

Phase field modeling of fatigue crack growth retardation under single cycle overloads

A zone-based crack retardation model that responds to single cycle overloads is applied to a phase field fatigue framework. Fatigue crack growth is incorporated through the degradation of fracture toughness in the phase field fracture model where a representative loading strategy is followed instead of explicit cyclic loading. The model is demonstrated to capture Paris-Erdogan law type behavior. Crack growth retardation following an overload cycle is simulated through a zone ahead of the crack tip taking inspiration from existing plastic zone-based retardation models. The retardation zone is described through a strain energy density limit, with the overload ratio controlling the extent to which the fatigue damage accumulation rate is slowed inside the retardation zone. The model is implemented utilizing user subroutines in Abaqus with coupled-temperature displacement elements where temperature acts as a stand in for the phase field parameter. The model is found capable of reproducing experimental levels of fatigue life gains and reduction in crack growth rate for compact tension and center-cracked tension panel specimens when various overload levels are applied. Furthermore, the model is demonstrated to be able to capture complex crack paths with great accuracy.

An adaptive multi-patch isogeometric phase-field model for dynamic brittle fracture

This paper presents an adaptive multi-patch isogeometric phase-field model based on Nitsche's method for simulating dynamic brittle fracture. Complex structures are accurately represented with multiple patches, and Nitsche's method is used to link two adjacent patches to ensure the compatibility and continuity of physical quantities (such as displacements, stresses, phase-field variables) on the coupling edge. LR NURBS with the local refinement ability are used for spatial discretization, while a generalized-α method is used for temporal discretization. The staggered algorithm and hybrid PFM formulation are adopted to enhance the solution efficiency of multi-field coupled system. In addition, the local refinement is executed utilising the phase-field threshold. Several dynamic fracture examples are used to validate the proposed approach's accuracy and effectiveness. The proposed approach can effectively model dynamic fracture propagation, and numerical results demonstrate that the adaptive analysis may significantly lower the computing cost.

Study of mixed-mode fracture in functionally graded material using an adaptive phase-field fracture model

This work systematically investigates the mixed-mode fracture propagation in functionally graded materials. The crack trajectory and load–displacement responses were effectively simulated using the mixed-mode phase field approach in combination with an adaptive mesh refinement technique. The mesh refinement is carried out using quadtree decompositions, and the elements with hanging nodes are handled as n−sided polygons. The adaptive implementation is validated by solving benchmark problems from the literature. The adaptive technique demonstrates greater computational efficiency by significantly reducing the number of elements without compromising the accuracy of the solution. This study provides insight into how fracture propagation behavior is influenced by gradient profile, material gradation, crack location, energy release rate, and displacement configuration in uni-directional and bi-directional functionally graded material. Remarkably, it is found that the peak load on the load–displacement graph changes noticeably, and the fracture path remains constant despite variations in the critical energy release rate. Notably, the results show that materials with lower fracture toughness have an early failure when studying a center fractured plate. This thorough examination deepens our understanding of the propagation of mixed-mode cracks and provides insight into improving the analysis and design methodologies for functionally graded materials.

A robust tension-compression asymmetric phase-field fracture model for describing PBX cracking under complex stress states

ABSTRACT The crack behaviors under complex stress states are very important for the safety of polymer-bonded explosives (PBXs) under accidental stimulations, but their accurate description is a challenge. Due to the advances of tracking discontinuities and multi-fields coupling, the phase-field model for complex fracture phenomena is attracting significant interest recently. Conventional phase-field fracture models are tension-compression symmetric or based on volumetric-deviatoric strain energy split, and these conventional phase-field models may lead to unrealistic fracture patterns, which hinders its further application in PBX fracture simulations. In this work, we present an extended, tension-compression asymmetric phase-field fracture model for PBXs, which distinguishes the contributions of tensile and compressive stresses to damage driving energy, and couples the mechanism of mechanical degradation and energy-driving cracking diffusion. We implemented our improved phase-field fracture model into finite element calculations and compared the simulation results with the conventional tension-compression symmetric phase-field fracture model and volumetric-deviatoric strain energy split phase-field fracture model by simulating PBX specimens under static loadings. The results show that our model not only accurately depicts the tensile and compressive cracks, but also describes compression-assisted cracking while suppressing unrealistic damage nucleation caused by small amplitudes of local compressive stresses, making it a very efficient way of describing PBX cracking under complex stress states. This new model is both mathematically and physically concise, and convenient for numerical implementation. Moreover, the novel model can be naturally extended to simulate shock-induced dynamic and/or coupled fracture of PBXs because of its feasibilities for dynamic extension and multi-field coupling.

A finite-volume implementation of the phase-field model for brittle fracture with adaptive mesh refinement

The phase-field method (PFM) has advantages in modeling crack propagation in rock-like materials by treating the crack surface as a continuous function, therefore avoiding dealing with the sharp discontinuous displacement field. This study presents an implementation of PFM using the finite volume method (FVM) to discretize the governing equations for the conservation of linear momentum and the evolution of phase field. The coupled equations are solved by an iterative staggered scheme. The adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) technique is further employed to improve computational efficiency, which is relatively easy to achieve in FVM as the method can naturally handle unstructured meshes with hanging nodes in both two- and three-dimensional problems, as opposed to the finite element method (FEM). Several classical crack propagation problems, including the single-edge notched tension and shear tests, the L-shaped panel test, and the test on a notched plate with a hole, are simulated and compared with available experimental and FEM results, which demonstrate that the FVM-based PFM can model crack propagation accurately and effectively and could be more efficient than the FEM-based PFM.

Representing model uncertainties in brittle fracture simulations

This work focuses on the representation of model-form uncertainties in phase-field models of brittle fracture. Such uncertainties can arise from the choice of the degradation function for instance, and their consideration has been unaddressed to date. The stochastic modeling framework leverages recent developments related to the analysis of nonlinear dynamical systems and relies on the construction of a stochastic reduced-order model. In the latter, a POD-based reduced-order basis is randomized using Riemannian projection and retraction operators, as well as an information-theoretic formulation enabling proper concentration in the convex hull defined by a set of model proposals. The model thus obtained is mathematically admissible in the almost sure sense and involves a low-dimensional hyperparameter, the calibration of which is facilitated through the formulation of a quadratic programming problem. The relevance of the modeling approach is further assessed on one- and two-dimensional applications. It is shown that model uncertainties can be efficiently captured and propagated to macroscopic quantities of interest. An extension based on localized randomization is also proposed to handle the case where the forward simulation is highly sensitive to sample localization. This work constitutes a methodological development allowing phase-field predictions to be endowed with statistical measures of confidence, accounting for the variability induced by modeling choices.

Experimental characterization and phase-field modeling of anisotropic brittle fracture in silicon

We employ experiments and phase-field modeling to characterize the four-fold anisotropic elastic and fracture response of solar-grade monocrystalline silicon on the macro-scale using thin silicon wafers. Tension tests on unnotched and double edge-notched specimens are performed to characterize the in-plane four-fold symmetric elastic behavior of the material and its fracture toughness along the weak directions. Single edge-notched tension tests with the notch oriented along the strong direction are performed to induce crack zigzagging and qualitatively capture the inherent stochastic nature of crack propagation in this setting. With the experimental results, we calibrate two deterministic anisotropic fourth-order phase-field models considering anisotropy in both elastic and fracture energies, as well as their stochastic extension proposed in our previous work. Overall, the very good agreement between experimental and numerical results demonstrates the ability of phase-field modeling to quantitatively predict anisotropic brittle fracture in monocrystalline silicon. Remarkably, very different zigzagging crack patterns obtained on nominally identical specimens are naturally reproduced by the stochastic model.

Realization of adaptive mesh refinement for phase-field model of thermal fracture within the FEniCS framework

This paper presents an adaptive phase field model for simulating fracture due to coupled interactions (such as thermal quenching and hot cracking in additive manufacturing). The proposed model is implemented in an open-source finite element framework, FEniCS. The model considers spatial variations of the fracture toughness and differential coefficients of thermal shrinkage. Several paradigmatic case studies are addressed to demonstrate the potential of the proposed modeling framework. Specifically, we (a) benchmark our crack predictions for mechanical and thermal boundary condition interactions with the results from alternative numerical methods, (b) accurately reproduce experimentally observed complex crack trajectories due to thermal quenching and hot cracking in additive manufacturing, and (c) demonstrate the ease of extending of the proposed framework to thermal cracking problems in three dimensions. The current implementation provides the basic for an efficient framework for fracture problems due to multi-physical interactions for practical engineers with less programming expertise.

An efficient phase-field model for fatigue fracture in viscoelastic solids using cyclic load decomposition and damage superposition

Accurate and efficient evaluations of fatigue fracture is of great importance for the design and evaluation of viscoelastic materials in critical applications subject to cyclic load. In this study, an efficiency-enhanced phase-field model for viscoelastic fatigue fracture is proposed, allowing for fast evaluations of high-cycle fatigue damage. Based on the Boltzmann superposition principle, the cyclic fatigue load is decomposed into a mean load and a zero-mean cyclic load. The response of the mean load is solved numerically, while the response of the zero-mean cyclic load is solved analytically. The phase-field driving force is obtained analytically by combining the responses of the two independent parts, and the phase-field evolution is calculated numerically. In addition, both the dissipated energy and the elastic energy are decomposed using the volumetric-deviatoric decomposition to avoid unrealistic damage under the compression portion of the cyclic load. The proposed efficiency-enhanced model satisfies the energy conservation law as it does not require the fracture toughness degradation or additional fatigue energy treatments. The computational efficiency of the overall fatigue fracture can be greatly improved by leveraging the analytical solution for the response associated with the cyclic load. Numerical investigations are performed, and comparisons with the conventional cycle-by-cycle computation method are made. The results show that the proposed method can reduce the exponential computational demand to a constant or a linear one while achieving an accuracy comparable to that of the conventional method. The effectiveness of the proposed method is further demonstrated using an actual rubber component with testing data.

Phase-field modeling of fracture in fused filament fabricated thermoplastic parts and experimental validation

In this work, a phase-field fracture model is formulated specifically for thermoplastic parts manufactured by fused filament fabrication (FFF). Due to their layered nature, FFF parts present an orthotropic fracture behavior, with their interfaces representing energetically favorable crack paths. The proposed phase-field model relies on the introduction of two damage variables, one for cross-layer and one for inter-layer crack propagation, allowing to capture the distinct fracture behavior of the thermoplastic filaments and the interfaces. The model is applied to the three-point bending of single-edge notched bending (SENB) FFF specimens with six different material orientations. The comparison with the experimental results shows that the proposed phase-field model can predict the experimentally observed peak load for the six material orientations with a maximum error of ≈ 11%. Furthermore, the model can also accurately predict the crack path and the softening behavior observed experimentally. To validate the capacities of the phase-field model, an experimental campaign on FFF compact-tension (CT) specimens modified with holes was performed. Comparing the numerical prediction with the experimental results for the modified CT specimens shows that, although the model features some limitations, it is still able to accurately capture the location of crack initiation and predict the peak load with a relative error of ≈ 2%.

Mesoscale modelling on the evolution of the fracture process zone in concrete using a unified phase-field approach: Size effect study

This paper presents a mesoscale phase-field fracture model formulation for simulating the fracture process of concrete at the mesoscale, focusing on studying size effects on the formation and evolution of the fracture process zone (FPZ). The proposed model is firstly verified and validated for concrete structures subjected to uniaxial tension tests. The model is further extended for modelling the formation and evolution of the FPZ in a concrete notched beam under three-point bending tests. Results demonstrate that the proposed model can not only capture the macro response in terms of the load–displacement curve but also can realistically depict the complex fracture process inside concrete under tension-dominated loading. The effects of specimen size on the evolution of the FPZ are also investigated with the proposed model. Based on the simulation results, it may be concluded that while the width of the FPZ is insensitive to the beam size and therefore can be considered to be a material constant, the length of the FPZ is generally strongly dependent on the specimen size. This characteristic of the FPZ in concrete has beneficial implications for understanding the overall size effect phenomenon.

A generally variational phase field model of fracture

Although the phase field method has been widely used in the field of fracture, various models exist, such as the second-order and fourth-order phase field model in the field of fracture mechanics, and the phase field evolution model in the field of physics, and it is not yet possible to establish these models under a unified framework. In this paper, a thermodynamically generalized framework of variational phase field model of fracture is presented, which can effectively unify different models under this framework. Based on this variational framework, not only the current second-order and fourth-order phase field model can be unified, but also new second-order, fourth-order, sixth-order, and eighth-order phase field model can be obtained from this framework. In addition, a method is proposed to convert the lower-order model into a higher-order model, which can convert a phase field distribution function of the lower-order model into a high-order phase field distribution function, and then obtain a higher-order phase field model. Finally, the new model is verified by some representative examples, and the second-order and fourth-order phase field models are compared, which shows the effectiveness of building a new phase field model from the variational framework.

Dynamic and adaptive mesh-based graph neural network framework for simulating displacement and crack fields in phase field models

Fracture is one of the main causes of failure in engineering structures. Phase field methods coupled with adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) techniques have been widely used to model crack propagation due to their ease of implementation and scalability. However, phase field methods can still be computationally demanding making them unfeasible for high-throughput design applications. Machine learning (ML) models such as Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) have shown their ability to emulate complex dynamic problems with speed-ups orders of magnitude faster compared to high-fidelity simulators. In this work, we present a dynamic mesh-based GNN framework for emulating phase field simulations of single-edge crack propagation with AMR for different crack configurations. The developed framework – ADAPTive mesh-based graph neural network (ADAPT-GNN) – exploits the benefits of both ML methods and AMR by describing the graph representation at each time step as the refined mesh itself. Using ADAPT-GNN, we predict the evolution of displacement fields and scalar damage field (or phase field) with good accuracy compared to the conventional phase-field fracture model. We also compute crack stress fields with good accuracy using the predicted displacements and phase field parameter.

Core-scale numerical simulation and comparison of breakdown of shale and resulting fractures using sc-CO2 and water as injectants

Supercritical carbon dioxide (sc-CO2) is an alternative to water for stimulation of low permeability systems such as shale gas and geothermal resources. Previously core-scale experimental studies have compared the behavior of CO2 to water injection for sample breakdown. Due to differences in experimental setup and core sample preparation, inconsistent or even apparently contradictory conclusions have resulted. To reconcile this contradiction, a phase-field numerical model is applied to understand hydraulic fracturing experiments using Green River shale found in the literature. The finite element numerical model incorporates a rate-dependent phase-field fracture model developed separately to describe fracture initiation and growth. We investigate the impact of various material and fluid properties on the resulting fractures. Most importantly, we study the effect of fluid properties and boundary conditions on the breakdown pressure, including the direction of the resulting fracture plane. Model results predict that (1) sc-CO2 injection in the laboratory may result in greater breakdown pressure than that of water under no-flow boundary conditions because lower viscosity sc-CO2 may result in pressure build up at the core boundary that opposes fracture initiation and (2) lower viscosity sc-CO2 also produces fast-propagating fractures that are less influenced by the bedding plane on their resulting fracture topology. Our model offers a straightforward explanation and reconciliation of existing experimental observations, as well as a means to extrapolate to new conditions. Exploration of field-scale conditions suggests less pronounced or no elevation in breakdown pressure when sc-CO2 is injected because the pressure build up effect at the system boundary is significantly less or absent at field length scales.

Phase-field models of floe fracture in sea ice

Abstract. We develop a phase-field model of brittle fracture to model fracture in sea ice floes. Phase fields allow for a variational formulation of fracture by using an energy functional that combines a linear elastic energy with a term modeling the energetic cost of fracture. We study the fracture strength of ice floes with stochastic thickness variations under boundary forcings or displacements. Our approach models refrozen cracks or other linear ice impurities with stochastic models for thickness profiles. We find that the orientation of thickness variations is an important factor for the strength of ice floes, and we study the distribution of critical stresses leading to fracture. Potential applications to discrete element method (DEM) simulations and field data from the ICEX 2018 campaign are discussed.

A Darcy–Cahn–Hilliard model of multiphase fluid-driven fracture

A Darcy–Cahn–Hilliard model coupled with damage is developed to describe multiphase-flow and fluid-driven fracturing in porous media. The model is motivated by recent experimental observations in Hele–Shaw cells of the fluid-driven fracturing of a synthetic porous medium with tunable fracture resistance. The model is derived from continuum thermodynamics and employs several simplifying assumptions, such as linear poroelasticity and viscous-dominated flow. Two distinct phase fields are used to regularize the interface between an invading and a defending fluid, as well as the ensuing damage. The damage model is a cohesive version of a phase-field model for fracture, in which model parameters allow for control over both nucleation and crack growth. Simulations with finite elements are then performed to calibrate the model against recent experimental results. In particular, an experimentally-inferred phase diagram differentiating two flow regimes of porous invasion and fracturing is recovered. Finally, the model is employed to explore the parameter space beyond experimental capabilities, giving rise to the construction of an expanded phase diagram that suggests a new flow regime.

Phase-field modeling of brittle fracture in functionally graded materials using exponential finite elements

This study introduces a novel implementation of exponential finite element (EFE) shape functions within the phase field model for predicting fracture responses in functionally graded materials (FGMs). The proposed approach utilizes an effective fracture toughness concept to analyze load–displacement responses and crack paths in various examples of FGMs. To optimize computational efficiency, a mixed scheme combining both linear finite element (LFE) and EFE shape functions is employed. Specifically, only the critical elements are corrected using EFE shape functions. Comparative analysis of simulation results against converged outcomes demonstrates the superiority of the EFE scheme, even when employing coarser meshes. The EFE approach accurately predicts load–displacement responses and crack paths for the evaluated examples. The proposed implementation offers a reliable and efficient tool for studying fracture behavior in FGMs. Despite the higher integration schemes and orientation requirements associated with EFE shape functions, the additional computational effort is found to be negligible. Implementation aspects include a staggered iteration scheme, a hybrid tension–compression splitting scheme, and automatic orientation of EFE shape functions.