Integration of an adaptive cohesive zone and continuum ductile fracture model to simulate crack propagation in steel structures

Damage mechanics continuum criteria have been shown to provide an effective alternative to conventional fracture mechanics parameters to simulate ductile crack initiation in mild steel under large scale yielding and variable stress states. In this study, a damage mechanics initiation criterion, called the Stress Weighted Damage Model, is extended to simulate ductile crack propagation through an Adaptive Cohesive Zone model. The proposed approach...