Quasicrystals are being implemented in industry since this new class of materials appears to have some peculiar properties. However, the fracture behavior of quasicrystals is not yet clear, which could be a hindrance to its wide usage. This work adopts the generalized linear elastic framework of fracture theory in quasicrystals and develops numerical tools in a finite element environment to compute the fracture quantities. Crack growth is simulated in diverse specimens undergoing an intrinsic mixed-mode loading and ...

Two approaches towards modeling damage in a brittle material caused by thermomechanical loading are presented. Bothrelyonmicrocrack growth, in the first case in ahomogeneousmatrix, in the second one at grain boundaries.Two-scale simulations e.g. of thermal shocks applied to single-phase or layered structures are performed in connection with the finite element method. Damage and crack patterns are predicted just as quantities like residual strength or critical temperature jumps.

A new sensor concept for monitoring fatigue crack growth in technical structures is presented. It allows the in-situ determination of the position of the crack tip as well as the fracture mechanical quantities. The required data are obtained from a piezoelectric polymer film, which is attached to the surface of the monitored structure. The stress intensity factors and the crack tip position are calculated from electrical potentials obtained from a sensor array by solving the non-linear inverse problem.

In many engineering applications special requirements are directed to a material's fracture behavior and the prediction of crack paths. Especially if the material exhibits anisotropic elastic properties or fracture toughnesses, e.g. in textured or composite materials, the simulation of crack paths is challenging. Here, the application of path independent interaction integrals (I-integrals), J-, L- and M-integrals is beneficial for an accurate crack tip loading analysis. Numerical tools for the calculation of loading ...

The developing crack paths in heterogeneous structures are the result of the inhomogeneous state of stress. The latter stems from e.g. voids or inclusions in an elastic matrix, which are bonded either by strong or weak interfaces. Besides the stiffness of an inclusion, the kind of interface has a decisive influence on the state of stress and therefore on propagating cracks. It is experimentally proven that cracks tend to grow towards regions with lower stiffness (Tilbrook et al., 2006; Judt et al., 2015), therefore ...

This paper is targeted on numerical methods for accurate crack tip loading analysis and crack path prediction. Those are based on finite element calculations of the boundary value problem. Applying path-independent integrals to curved cracks in order to accurately calculate the J-integral, energy release rate (ERR) or stress intensity factors (SIF) is still not state of the art. Contours which are not confined to the crack tip require special analytical preparation and numerical treatment to supply results which are ...

Fracture and damage processes on micro- and mesoscale are combined with macroscale simulations applying numerical multiscale approaches. Cracks and grain boundaries are reproduced in cell models that take account of transand intercrystalline crack growth. The global, in general thermomechanical boundary value problem is considered within a continuum mechanics framework. Two approaches are presented combining the scales. Simple processes on the smaller level are described in analytical models including the damage ...