Peridynamic Study on Fracture Mode and Crack Propagation Path of a Plate with Multiple Cracks Subjected to Uniaxial Tension

Abstract

How to simulate fracture mode and crack propagation path in a plate with multiple cracks is an attractive but di cult issue in fracture mechanics. Peridynamics is a recently developed nonlocal continuum formulation that can spontaneously predict the crack nucleation, branch and propagation in materials and structures through a meshfree discrete technique. In this paper, the peridynamic motion equation with boundary traction is improved by simplifying the boundary transfer functions. We calculate the critical cracking load and the fracture angles of the plate with multiple cracks under uniaxial tension. The results are consistent with those predicted by classical fracture mechanics. The fracture mode and crack propagation path are also determined. The calculation shows that the brittle fracture process of the plate with multiple cracks can be conveniently and correctly simulated by the peridynamic motion equation with boundary conditions.