THE DAMAGE PROCESS IN A FINITE‐SIZED BRITTLE SPECIMEN WITH INTERACTING MICROCRACKS

Abstract— The whole damage process in a finite sized specimen with interacting microcracks is simulated by a method combining the closed form crack solutions with boundary elements. Interactions among microcracks and boundary elements are taken into account with an explicit interaction matrix. A coalescence criterion is assumed to rule the intersection behaviour and propagation arrest. The fatal coalescence cluster resulting in the failure of the specimen, out of many intersections of propagating microcracks, is identified with a particular coalescence matrix. The numerical model proposed in this paper can be used to simulate the damage process in a brittle specimen of any shape, under arbitrary plane stress conditions.