PSI - Issue 66

Available online at www.sciencedirect.com Available online at www.sciencedirect.com ScienceDirect Structural Integrity Procedia 00 (2025) 000–000

www.elsevier.com/locate/procedia

ScienceDirect

Procedia Structural Integrity 66 (2024) 396–405

8th International Conference on Crack Paths An adaptive phase-field approach for simulating crack propagation in heterogeneous structures Domenico Ammendolea a *, Fabrizio Greco a , Lorenzo Leonetti a , Paolo Lonetti a , Arturo Pascuzzo b

a Department of Civil Engineering, University of Calabria, Via P.Bucci, Cubo 39B, 87036, Rende, Cosenza, Italy b Department of Civil Engineering, Digital University Pegaso,Centro Direzionale ISOLA F2, 80143, Napoli, Italy

Abstract In recent years, the simulation of damage phenomena in engineering materials, especially heterogeneous ones, remains a significant challenge due to the intricate physical processes involved. These complexities arise from the need to account for the interactions between different material phases, the initiation and growth of cracks, and the influence of microstructural features. A proper evaluation of fracture behavior is then essential to limit dramatic failures that may lead to unsafe conditions. The aim of the present work is to present a novel adaptive phase-field method within a Finite Element (FE) framework for simulating crack propagation phenomena in heterogeneous materials. The proposed model enhances the phase-field approach, known for its robustness in handling complex fracture patterns, with an adaptive meshing technique to efficiently manage the computational demands posed by material heterogeneity. The main characteristic of the present methodology is being adaptive, meaning that it can update itself during damage evolution. In fact, the model automatically inserts highly meshed damageable domains as well as a damage activation criterion is met, which typically involves regions experiencing high stress concentrations. This feature ensures that computational resources are focused where they are most needed, thereby improving efficiency without sacrificing accuracy. Additionally, the model has the ability to capture intricate crack paths without prior knowledge of their locations. Comparisons with experimental data and numerical results reported in the technical literature are developed to assess reliability and efficacy of the proposed methodology. The results highlight the potential of this adaptive phase-field method as a powerful tool for analyzing and modeling diverse materials and structures in engineering applications. © 2025 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of CP 2024 Organizers © 2025 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of CP 2024 Organizers

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +39-0984 496946 E-mail address: domenico.ammendolea@unical.it

2452-3216 © 2025 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of CP 2024 Organizers

2452-3216 © 2025 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of CP 2024 Organizers 10.1016/j.prostr.2024.11.091