TY - JOUR

T1 - Phase field approach for simulating failure of viscoelastic elastomers

AU - Brighenti, Roberto

AU - Rabczuk, Timon

AU - Zhuang, Xiaoying

N1 - Funding Information: The author(s) gratefully acknowledge the support of the German Science Foundation (DFG) under the grant. No. 418518589.

PY - 2021/1

Y1 - 2021/1

N2 - The description of a problem involving the existence of an interface or of a strong discontinuity requires to solve partial differential equations on a moving domain, whose evolution is also unknown, leading to severe difficulties, especially when the interface undergoes topological changes. The solution becomes even more complex when the whole problem domain changes, such as in mechanical problems involving large deformations. In this context, the phase-field approach allows to easily reformulate the problem through the use of a continuous field variable mimicking the real physical discontinuity. In the present paper we take advantage of such an approach for the description of damage and failure of highly deformable strain rate-dependent materials, such as the elastomeric ones. By harnessing a statistical physics-based micromechanical model of the polymers chain network characterized by the capability to reorganize the distribution of its chain lengths in time, the behavior of a rate-dependent polymer can be simulated. The adopted physics-based approach, upscaled at the continuum level and combined with a phase-field approach, allows us to describe the damage and fracture occurring in this class of materials in the large deformations regime. Some examples are provided to demonstrate the reliability of the proposed model.

AB - The description of a problem involving the existence of an interface or of a strong discontinuity requires to solve partial differential equations on a moving domain, whose evolution is also unknown, leading to severe difficulties, especially when the interface undergoes topological changes. The solution becomes even more complex when the whole problem domain changes, such as in mechanical problems involving large deformations. In this context, the phase-field approach allows to easily reformulate the problem through the use of a continuous field variable mimicking the real physical discontinuity. In the present paper we take advantage of such an approach for the description of damage and failure of highly deformable strain rate-dependent materials, such as the elastomeric ones. By harnessing a statistical physics-based micromechanical model of the polymers chain network characterized by the capability to reorganize the distribution of its chain lengths in time, the behavior of a rate-dependent polymer can be simulated. The adopted physics-based approach, upscaled at the continuum level and combined with a phase-field approach, allows us to describe the damage and fracture occurring in this class of materials in the large deformations regime. Some examples are provided to demonstrate the reliability of the proposed model.

KW - Damage

KW - Elastomers

KW - Fracture

KW - Phase-field

KW - Polymers

KW - Visco-elasticity

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85090706220&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.euromechsol.2020.104092

DO - 10.1016/j.euromechsol.2020.104092

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85090706220

VL - 85

JO - European Journal of Mechanics, A/Solids

JF - European Journal of Mechanics, A/Solids

SN - 0997-7538

M1 - 104092

ER -