Estimation of Fracture Behavior of Porous Materials

Abstract

In this paper, the technique to estimate the fracture behavior of a porous material, which may be counded as one of the grain dispersed composite materials, is researched by using a simplified simulation model and the F. E. M. The simulation model is composed of the unit elements (a) and (b), (a) being made of a matrix only, and (b) of an element of pore enclosed by a matrix. The deformation behavior of this model may be analyzed by the F. E. M of the substructure model or the equivalent element model and from these results the elastic and the fracture behaviors can be estimated. As one of the applications of the simulation technique to the actual materials, a two-dimensional porous model is analyzed and the results are compared with the experimental values of a polyester material.