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A grain-scale study of spall in brittle materials

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Abstract

The evolution of spall for a brittle material is investigated under variance of anisotropy, grain boundary fracture energy, and loading. Because spall occurs in the interior of the specimen, fundamental studies of crack nucleation and growth are needed to better understand surface velocity measurements. Within a cohesive approach to fracture, we illustrate that for anisotropic materials, increases in the fracture energy cause a transition in crack nucleation from triple-points to entire grain boundary facets. Analysis of idealized flaws reveals that while crack initiation and acceleration are strong functions of the fracture energy, flaws soon reach speeds on the order of the Rayleigh wave speed. Finally, simulated surface velocities of spalled configurations are correlated with microstructural evolution. These fundamental studies of nucleation, growth, and spall attempt to link atomic separation to the macroscopic spall strength and provide a computational framework to examine the evolution of spall and the impact on the simulated surface velocity field.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore, CA, 94550, USA

    James W. Foulk & Tracy J. Vogler

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  1. James W. Foulk
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  2. Tracy J. Vogler
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Correspondence to James W. Foulk.

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Foulk, J.W., Vogler, T.J. A grain-scale study of spall in brittle materials. Int J Fract 163, 225–242 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10704-010-9470-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10704-010-9470-0

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