We propose a full 3D benchmark problem for brittle fracture based on experiments as well as a validation in the context of phase-field models. The example consists of a series of four-point bending tests on graphite specimens with sharp V-notches at different inclination angles. This simple setup leads to a mixed mode (I + II + III) loading which results in complex yet stably reproducible crack surfaces. The proposed problem is well suited for benchmarking numerical methods for brittle fracture and allows for a quantitative comparison of failure loads and propagation paths as well as initiation angles and the fracture surface. For evaluation of the crack surfaces image-based 3D models of the fractured specimen are provided along with experimental and numerical results. In addition, measured failure loads and computed load-displacement curves are given. To demonstrate the applicability of the benchmark problem, we show that for a phase-field model based on the Finite Cell Method and multi-level hp-refinement the complex crack surface as well as the failure loads can be well reproduced.
In this contribution, a novel framework for simulating mixed-mode failure in rock is presented. Based on a hybrid phase-field model for mixed-mode fracture, separate phase-field variables are introduced for tensile (mode I) and shear (mode II) fracture. The resulting three-field problem features separate length scale parameters for mode I and mode II cracks. In contrast to the classic two-field mixed-mode approaches, it can thus account for different tensile and shear strength of rock. The two phase-field equations are implicitly coupled through the degradation of the material in the elastic equation, and the three fields are solved using a staggered iteration scheme. For its validation, the three-field model is calibrated for two types of rock, Solnhofen Limestone and Pfraundorfer Dolostone. To this end, double-edge notched Brazilian disk (DNBD) tests are performed to determine the mode II fracture toughness. The numerical results demonstrate that the proposed phase-field model is able to reproduce the different crack patterns observed in the DNBD tests. A final example of a uniaxial compression test on a rare drill core demonstrates that the proposed model is able to capture complex, 3D mixed-mode crack patterns when calibrated with the correct mode I and mode II fracture toughness.
Phase-field models for fracture are based on a diffused approximation of the crack using a scalar field variable, which altogether avoids the modeling of discontinuities. Although widely used and extended to a broad range of applications, phase-field simulations of large-scale scenarios featuring complex geometries and crack patterns are still a challenging task. In this contribution, a numerical framework is proposed which combines a phase-field model for brittle fracture with an adaptive refinement technique and an embedded domain approach to an efficient tool for the simulation of complex, 3-dimensional crack scenarios.
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