This paper deals with the dissipation associated with quasistatic microcracking of brittle materials exhibiting softening behavior. For this purpose an elastodamaging cohesive zone model is used, in which cohesive tractions decrease (during crack propagation) with increasing displacement discontinuities. Constant cohesive tractions are included in the model as a limiting special case. Considering a representative volume element containing a dilute distribution of many parallel microcracks, we quantify energy dissipation associated with mode I microcrack propagation. This is done in the framework of thermodynamics, without restricting assumptions on the size of the cohesive zones. Model predictions are compared with exact solutions, which are accessible for constant cohesive tractions. The proposed model reliably predicts both onset of crack propagation and the dissipation during microcracking. It is shown that the energy release rate is virtually equal to the area under the softening curve, if the microscopic tensile strength is at least twice as large as the macroscopic tensile strength. This result justifies approaches relying on the concept of constant energy release rate, such as those frequently used in the engineering practice.
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e-mail: bernhard.pichler@lmsgc.enpc.fr
e-mail: luc.dormieux@lmsgc.enpc.fr
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July 2009
Research Papers
Micromechanical Interpretation of the Dissipation Associated With Mode I Propagation of Microcracks in Brittle Materials
Bernhard Pichler,
Bernhard Pichler
Laboratory for Materials and Structures (LMSGC),
e-mail: bernhard.pichler@lmsgc.enpc.fr
Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées (ENPC)
, 6 et 8, Avenue Blaise Pascal, F-77455 Marne-la-Vallée, France
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Luc Dormieux
Luc Dormieux
Laboratory for Materials and Structures (LMSGC),
e-mail: luc.dormieux@lmsgc.enpc.fr
Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées (ENPC)
, 6 et 8, Avenue Blaise Pascal, F-77455 Marne-la-Vallée, France
Search for other works by this author on:
Bernhard Pichler
Laboratory for Materials and Structures (LMSGC),
Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées (ENPC)
, 6 et 8, Avenue Blaise Pascal, F-77455 Marne-la-Vallée, Francee-mail: bernhard.pichler@lmsgc.enpc.fr
Luc Dormieux
Laboratory for Materials and Structures (LMSGC),
Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées (ENPC)
, 6 et 8, Avenue Blaise Pascal, F-77455 Marne-la-Vallée, Francee-mail: luc.dormieux@lmsgc.enpc.fr
J. Appl. Mech. Jul 2009, 76(4): 041003 (12 pages)
Published Online: April 22, 2009
Article history
Received:
February 22, 2007
Revised:
September 15, 2008
Published:
April 22, 2009
Citation
Pichler, B., and Dormieux, L. (April 22, 2009). "Micromechanical Interpretation of the Dissipation Associated With Mode I Propagation of Microcracks in Brittle Materials." ASME. J. Appl. Mech. July 2009; 76(4): 041003. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.3086594
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