On the Application of PDS-FEM for Simulating 3D Wing Crack Growth in Brittle Elastic Solids

Abstract

Applicability of PDS-FEM to simulate 3D wing crack growth in brittle elastic solids is demonstrated by reproducing some experimental observations reported in literature. 3D wing crack growth phenomenon is not well understood yet, though it has been recognized a key mechanism in failure under compression. Lack of non-destructive 3D stress field measurement techniques and efficient numerical methods for modeling 3D crack propagation are some of the barriers in understanding this phenomenon. PDS-FEM is a prominent candidate for studying complex crack propagation phenomena like 3D wing crack propagation; it provides numerically efficient failure treatments and incorporates the effects of minor material heterogeneities on crack evolution. The use of non-overlapping shape functions of conjugate geometries to approximate functions and their derivatives is the key to its attractive properties like numerically efficient failure treatment. Models with fine domain discretization are used to capture fine details of 3D wing cracks which are reported in literature. Features like curving of crack surfaces at the tip of mode-I regions and the growth of petal cracks at mode-III regions are reproduced. Comparison with experimental observations, which are reported in literature, indicates that simulated crack profiles are in good agreement.