Crack growth simulation in heterogeneous material by S-FEM and comparison with experiments

Three crack growth problems are simulated. One is crack growth in a bi-material made of CFRP plate and aluminum alloy. The crack growth paths are compared with the experimental results. The second problem is crack growth in a bi-material made of PMMA and aluminum alloy. By changing the loading condition, several cases are simulated and compared with the experimental results. In the experiment, the crack grows into and along the phase boundary. The effect of the phase boundary is discussed. The last case is crack growth along interface of CFRP plate.