Computational Technique for Crack Propagation Simulation in Viscoelastic Solid Propellant

To further investigate the fracture response in propellant grain, numerical methodology is proposed to cope with crack propagation simulation especially for the mixed mode condition. The numerical discrete scheme of the propellant linear viscoelastic constitutive model is proposed, which provides a key means for the simulation of crack propagation. In order to simulate the cohesive traction distribution on the new crack surface, the extrinsic Park-Paulino-Roesler (PPR) cohesive zone model (CZM) is introduced. To let the crack propagate along any direction determined, element splitting technique and its corresponding topological operations are proposed step by step. Then, computational simulation implementation process is explained in greater detail. Typical fracture problem, single edge-notched tension test (SENT) is solved to demonstrate the efficiency and accuracy of the proposed method. In addition, double edge-notched tension test (DENT) as well as plate tension test with a slant crack is conducted to show the special fracture characters in viscoelastic solid propellant, like time dependence. Computational results reveal that the method proposed can be utilized in further fracture investigation in solid propellant combined with the experimental findings.