On the interaction and branching of fast running cracks—a numerical investigation

Abstract Phenomena of dynamic fracture in brittle materials resulting from the interaction of fast running cracks are investigated numerically. These studies concern the influence of mutual shielding on crack paths, the stress intensity factor and crack tip speed variations, the stability of a simultaneous propagation of several cracks, and the interaction of cracks of different size. Furthermore, dynamic crack branching is investigated from a macroscopic point of view. The respective initial boundary value problem of linear elastodynamics is formulated as a system of time-domain boundary integral equations in conjunction with experimentally motivated criteria for crack growth and branching. The numerical evaluation is based on a boundary element method and an appropriate discretization of the fracture and branching criteria. Results obtained from numerical simulations are discussed with regard to the experimental findings.

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