Abstract:

A unified approach for the treatment of damage in heterogeneous materials is developed that allows simulation of crack growth and phase separation within the same framework. The approach is based on the introduction of displacement discontinuity functions, previously used in the solution of interfacial crack problems in multilayered materials, into the authors’ parametric finite-volume theory. The discontinuity functions are obtained upon solution of auxiliary equations that represent either traction-free crack face conditions, or interfacial separation between phases governed by nonlinear tractioninterfacial separation laws. The cohesive zone model is implemented into the developed finite-volume theory framework to demonstrate its utility in the context of simulating classical fiber/matrix debonding in SiC/Ti unidirectional composites. Comparison with experimental data illustrates good agreement, demonstrating the new finite-volume based damage evolution capability as an efficient and accurate alternative to standard finite-element based implementations of CZM.