Phase-Field Modeling of Crack Propagation Merging and Nucleation

The present work proposes a phase-field method (PFM) based on the total energy minimization principle. This work simulates the multiple crack discontinuity problem in a two-dimensional plate made of aluminum alloy 2024 T-3. Toward this analysis, an in-house MATLAB code is developed to perform numerical analysis in the finite element method framework combined with a phase-field model. In this work, presence of different crack discontinuities on the crack-growth trajectory is investigated, and the initiation of crack growth by various crack discontinuities is also observed. The corresponding load–displacement curve is discussed to get load-carrying capacity under different combinations of crack discontinuity and loading conditions to enhance the system’s performance. Here, the results obtained by the present method for some standard cases are validated through reference results given in the literature.