Numerical simulation of cracking processes in dissimilar media

This paper presents a novel numerical technique to simulate the crack propagation process for inhomogeneous solids. The criteria of crack growth and path selection are expressed in terms of some simple functions of fracture energy and loading phase angle. The energy release rate and loading phase angle for mixed mode cracks are evaluated by the finite element method with a mesh-adaptive technique. Examples are considered to show that the method is effective for simulating and predicting crack paths in inhomogeneous solids. They include crack growth or kinking in bi-materials and damage processes of fiber-reinforced composites. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.