A brittle fracture criterion for PMMA V-notches tensile specimens based on a length-enriched eXtended Finite Element approach

Abstract

A criterion for the prediction of the static failure loads in tensile PMMA specimens with sharp notches is presented. The proposed criterion is based on a regularized version of the eXtended Finite Element Method (XFEM), which has been previously applied to concrete-like materials. The main feature of the proposed approach is that the cracking process is not treated as a local process, but it is modeled by assuming that macro-cracks stem from the interaction of micro-cracks within a finite width process zone. The case of a brittle materials with thin process zone is tackled by assuming one layer of enriched finite elements. Preliminary results concerning PMMA specimens subjected to mode-one loading are presented.

Fracture loads of sharp and blunt asperities under normal and tangential loading

“…Benvenuti et al [21] presented an extended FEM (XFEM)-based approach to predict the static tensile fracture load for sharp notch specimens made of Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) material. However, fracture load for the rounded-tip V-notches is also very important to quantify, as rounded-tip cracks and defects are the geometrical E-mail address: malekan@sdu.dk.…”