BRITTLE-FRACTURE IN COMPRESSION - MECHANISMS, MODELS AND CRITERIA

Although brittle fracture in compression has been a subject of study s ince the pioneering work of Griffith, some fundamental aspects of the fracture mechanism and phenomenon still remain unclear. Further, compu ter simulations of fracture processes are rather limited. Thus, a revi ew and summary of existing typical models and fracture criteria for br ittle fracture in compression are provided. A sound fracture model sho uld be established from knowledge of observed fracture behaviour and b ased on both a stress and an energy criterion.