A thermodynamically consistent derivation of a frictional-damage cohesive-zone model with different mode I and mode II fracture energies

• A mixed-mode cohesive-zone model with 1 damage variable is analyzed.
• Thermodynamic consistency is shown to require equal mode I and II fracture energies.
• The interface model is enhanced by including micro-structured geometry and friction.
• Assessment of mixed-mode behavior of the enhanced model is carried out numerically.
• Single-point simulations and structural simulations show recovery of higher mode II fracture energy.

The present paper deals with the derivation of an interface model characterized by macroscopic fracture energies which are different in modes I and II, the macroscopic fracture energy being the total energy dissipated per unit of fracture area.It is first shown that thermo-dynamical consistency for a model governed by a single damage variable, combined with the choice of employing an equivalent relative displacement and of a linear softening in the stress-relative displacement law, leads to the coincidence of fracture energies in modes I and II. To retrieve the experimental evidence of a greater fracture energy in mode II, a micro-structured geometry is considered at the typical point of the interface where a Representative Interface Element (RIE) characterized by a periodic arrangement of distinct inclined planes is introduced. The interaction within each of these surfaces is governed by a coupled damage-friction law.A sensitivity analysis of the correlation between micromechanical parameters and the numerically computed single-point microstructural response in mode II is reported. An assessment of the capability of the model in predicting different mixed mode fracture energies is carried out both at the single microstructural interface point level and with a structural example. For the latter a double cantilever beam with uneven bending moments has been analyzed and numerical results are compared with experimental data reported in the literature for different values of mode mixity.