INVESTIGATION OF CRACK PROPAGATION ON A THIN PLATE WITH AN IMPLEMENTATION OF PHASE-FIELD

Abstract

Phase-Field Model is an innovative approach for the simulation of crack propagation in the material. Instead of the traditional method of re-meshing and tracking the crack's tip, the phase-field model is based on the principle of minimum energy and uses a continuous phase-field variable to separate the crack from the matrix. This project utilizes the phase-field problem to solve for the minimum elastic energy by combining two functions, the phase-field parameter, and mechanical displacement, over a defined area domain for an anti-plane elastic solid. The governing equation is solved using PDE models and FEM methods in MATLAB's PDE Toolbox. The results of the study demonstrate the advantages of the phase-field model in predicting the effects of varying shear modulus and notch location and geometry on crack propagation in anti-plane elastic solids. To further validate the effectiveness of the code, notched specimens were tested with tension loading in the UTM and compared with simulation results, advertising the phase-field model’s real-world applications for failure prediction.