Application of modified Ritchie-Knott-Rice criterion to cellular automata

Abstract

In this paper, the cellular automata model is applied to analyse cleavage and ductile fracture in front of a crack in three-point-bend specimens made of Hardox-400 steel. The research programme was composed of experiments followed by fractographic and numerical analyses. On the basis of microscopic observations, the sizes of cells used in the automata were determined. The algorithm enabled mapping of the two-dimensional crack surface as well as a simulation of temperature-dependent failure mechanisms by defining transition rules based on the modified Ritchie-Knott-Rice cleavage fracture criterion. The critical stress values were estimated and verified by the cellular automata model.