The Meaning, Selection, and Use of the Peridynamic Horizon and its Relation to Crack Branching in Brittle Materials

• Published in: International journal of fracture Vol. 176; no. 2; pp. 215 - 222
• Main Authors: Bobaru, Florin, Hu, Wenke
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01.08.2012; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Automotive Engineering; Brittle materials; Brittleness; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemistry and Materials Science; Civil Engineering; Classical Mechanics; Crack propagation; Exact sciences and technology; Fracture mechanics; Fracture mechanics (crack, fatigue, damage...); Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications); Horizon; Letters in Fracture and Micromechanics; Materials Science; Materials selection; Mechanical Engineering; Physics; Solid mechanics; Stress waves; Structural and continuum mechanics; Vibration, mechanical wave, dynamic stability (aeroelasticity, vibration control...); Wave interaction; Wave propagation; continuum mechanics; brittle fracture; crack branching; nonlocal models; dynamic fracture; peridynamics; Branching; Stress wave; Brittle fracture; Ester polymer; Mechanical properties; Brittle material; Wave interaction; Elastic wave; Modeling; Crack propagation; Continuum; Integral equation; Non local theory; Dynamic load; Crack
• ISSN: 0376-9429; 1573-2673
• DOI: 10.1007/s10704-012-9725-z

This note discusses the peridynamic horizon (the nonlocal region around a material point), its role, and practical use in modelling. The objective is to eliminate some misunderstandings and misconceptions regarding the peridynamic horizon. An example of crack branching in a nominally brittle material (homalite) is addressed and we show that crack branching takes place without wave interaction. We explain under what conditions the crack propagation speed depends on the horizon size and the role of incident stress waves on this speed.