Abstract
A new approach for quantitative analysis of fragmentation for brittle materials is developed with the aid of axioms of continuum mechanics, fracture mechanics and topology. The principles of energy balance are used to establish the field equations for the surface and volume of a fragment which is homeomorphic to a sphere. The global and local geometric constraints on fragmentation are unveiled as a deterministic description of a crack network by use of the Euler theorem and energy transformation. Several physical phenomena are revealed in the present research. A new physical parameter, the dissipative rate of surface energy, is derived which provides a theoretical basis for understanding the latest experimental results. One of the applications of the model is to understand some basic parameters for formation of a branching crack network with a single source. Theoretical analysis is in very good agreement with experimental results.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 391-415 |
| Number of pages | 25 |
| Journal | International Journal of Solids and Structures |
| Volume | 31 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Feb 1994 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:Acknowledgements-The authors are gratefully indebted to Professor D. C. Leigh for his meticulous review of Section 2 of the manuscript and for his constructive suggestions towards the improvement of the paper. This project was financially supported by the Center for Robotics and Manufacturing Systems of the University of Kentucky. One of the authors (MTH) is grateful for support from N.S.F. under RIA grant No. MSS-9210531 during the course of this research.
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Modeling and Simulation
- General Materials Science
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Mechanics of Materials
- Mechanical Engineering
- Applied Mathematics