Finite element implementation of the coupled criterion for numerical simulations of crack initiation and propagation in brittle materials

The proposed numerical model for simulating two-dimensional cracking process in brittle materials is based on the coupled criterion (CC) which enters in the general framework of Finite Fracture Mechanics. It states that both the energy and stress conditions should be fulfilled to predict the crack creation in brittle solids. Special numerical approaches were developed in drawing correctly the potential crack paths and to minimize the potential energy with respect to all predicted crack paths. The originality of this work lies in the ability to describe both the initiation and the growth of one or more cracks. Moreover, statistical distributions of flaws can be accounted for. The efficiency and accuracy of the proposed approach were approved by means of several numerical examples for which the solutions are well-known or well-studied in the literature.