NUMERICAL TESTS OF PROGRESSIVE FAILURE IN BRITTLE MATERIALS

The development in fracture mechanics of brittle materials promoted by applying numerical methods sees a newly developed numerical code,Material Failure Process Analysis, MFPA2D. Examples are given in numerical simulations of material failure, such as that of rock, concrete and other heterogeneous materials. The possible applications in coal strata movement, stability in underground structure, earthquake mechanism, and failure behavior in some composite materials are also demonstrated with appropriate examples of numerical tests.