Identifier
etd-11152014-101222
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Mechanical Engineering
Document Type
Dissertation
Abstract
In this study we present the variational approach to fracture mechanics as a versatile tool for the modeling of the fracture phenomenon in solids. Variational fracture mechanics restates the problem of initiation and propagation of cracks in solids as an energy minimization problem. The edifice of this energy minimization problem is such that unlike other methods (e.g. extended finite element method XFEM, cohesive-zone methods) the variational approach to fracture mechanics, diminishes the need for an a priori knowledge of the crack path or ad hoc assumptions in the form of path selection laws. We will show applications of the variational approach to fracture mechanics to the thin-film and the classical two and three dimensional elasticity settings and to simulation of double-torsion experiments.
Date
2014
Document Availability at the Time of Submission
Release the entire work immediately for access worldwide.
Recommended Citation
Mesgarnejad, Ataollah, "Applications of the Variational Approach to Fracture Mechanics" (2014). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 2776.
https://repository.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/2776
Committee Chair
Khonsari, Michael M
DOI
10.31390/gradschool_dissertations.2776