Cohesive crack modelling of thin sheet material exhibiting anisotropy, plasticity and large-scale damage evolution

The crack tip region in notched structures generally exhibit damage evolution before ultimate failure occurs. In some materials, the damaged regions may reach considerable sizes prior to structural collapse. In this work, a cohesive crack model suitable for static fracture mechanics analysis of thin sheet materials exhibiting anisotropy, plasticity, and large-scale damage evolution was developed. The material parameters of the model were calibrated solely by tensile testing of unnotched test specimens. The predictive capability of the model was verified by comparisons with experiments on notched test specimens with different crack sizes. The predictions of failure were shown to be in excellent agreement with the experiments.

► A cohesive crack model for fracture mechanics analysis of thin sheets was developed.
► The model comprised anisotropy, plasticity, and large-scale damage evolution.
► The model was calibrated solely by tensile testing of unnotched test specimens.
► The model was verified by comparisons with experiments on notched test specimens.
► The predictions of failure were in excellent agreement with the experiments.