CHARACTERISTICS OF CRACK RESISTANCE - SIM ULATION WITH A NEW COHESIVEMODEL

Cracks in structures induce high stress and strain concentration and r educe significantly their load capacity. The resistance of the materia l during stable crack extention is determined using global quantities measured on specific crack specimens. However, such determined resista nce of a material is dependent on several parameters, Even under small scale yielding as shown heir. The behaviour of the resistance curves, determined by Finite Element simulations using a new GKSS specific co hesive model, will be presented. New aspects also arise for the choise , design, and assessment of materials.