FFT phase-field model combined with cohesive composite voxels for fracture of composite materials with interfaces

Dr Yang Chen and Professor James Marrow worked with the Universite Paris-Saclay to develop this framework for damage modelling, which incorporates the fast Fourier transform (FFT) method.  

In their paper 'FFT phase-field model combined with cohesive composite voxels for fracture of composite materials with interfaces' published in Computational Mechanics, they propose a method which combines the variational phase-field approach with a cohesive zone model.  To simulate damage in composite materials with interfaces, a framework for damage modelling has been developed, based on the fast Fourier transform (FFT) method that combines the variational phase-field approach with a cohesive zone model.  Examples demonstrate that the model can predict complex fracture behaviour in composite microstructures, such as debonding, frictional sliding of interfaces, crack deviation and coalescence of interface cracking and matrix cracking.  

The composite voxel technique with a laminate model was adopted for this purpose; a frictional cohesive zone model was incorporated to describe the fracture behaviour of the interface, which included frictional sliding.  The representative numerical examples demonstrate that the proposed model is able to predict complex fracture behaviour in composite microstructures, such as debonding, frictional sliding of interfaces, crack deviation and coalescence of interface cracking and maxtrix cracking.