Avalanche behavior and statistical properties in a microcrack coalescence process

Fracture owing to the coalescence of numerous microcracks can be described by a simple statistical model, where a coalescence event stochastically occ urs as the number density of nucleated microcracks increases. Both numerica l simulation and statistical analysis reveal that a microcrack coalescence process may display avalanche behavior and that the final failure is catast rophic. The cumulative distribution of coalescence events in the vicinity o f critical fracture follows a power law and the fracture profile has self-a ffine fractal characteristic. Some macromechanical quantities may be traced back and extracted from the mesoscopic process based on the statistical an alysis of coalescence events.