Open Access

ARTICLE

Generation-Phase Simulation of Dynamic Crack Bifurcation Phenomenon Using Moving Finite Element Method Based on Delaunay Automatic Triangulation

T. Nishioka¹, J. Furutuka¹, S. Tchouikov¹, T. Fujimoto¹

1 Simulation Engineering Laboratory, Dept. of Ocean Mechanical Enginering, Kobe University of Mercantile Marine, Higashinada-Ku, Kobe, 658-0022, Japan

Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences 2002, 3(1), 129-146. https://doi.org/10.3970/cmes.2002.003.129

Abstract

The governing condition of dynamic crack bifurcation phenomena had not been fully elucidated until our recent experimental studies. We found from the experimental results that the energy flux per unit time into a propagating crack tip or into a fracture process zone governs the crack bifurcation. Regarding the numerical simulation of dynamic crack bifurcation, to the authors' knowledge, no accurate simulations have been carried out, due to several unresolved difficulties. In order to overcome the difficulties, for the analysis of dynamic crack bifurcation, we developed a moving finite element method based on Delaunay automatic triangulation. Using the moving finite element method, the generation phase simulation was carried out, based on the experimentally recorded fracture histories by an ultra-high speed camera. To evaluate fracture parameters for shortly branched cracks, a switching method of the path independent dynamic J integral was also developed. The simulated results agree excellently with those of the experiment. Furthermore, the numerical simulation revealed detailed variations of various fracture parameters before and after the crack bifurcation.

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Keywords

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