Three-dimensional phase-field modeling of mode I + II/III failure in solids

One major merit of phase-field models for fracture is that cracks nucleation, propagation, branching, merging, coalescence and even fragmentation, etc., can be accounted for seamlessly within a standalone regularized variational framework. This fascinating feature overcomes the cumbersomeness in the characterization of non-smooth crack surfaces and the tracking of complex crack paths. However, the numerical algorithms frequently adopted in...