Numerical simulation of cracking processes in dissimilar media

This paper presents a novel numerical technique to simulate the crack propa gation process for inhomogeneous solids. The criteria of crack growth and p ath selection are expressed in terms of some simple functions of fracture e nergy and loading phase angle. The energy release rate and loading phase an gle for mixed mode cracks are evaluated by the finite element method with a mesh-adaptive technique. Examples are considered to show that the method i s effective for simulating and predicting crack paths in inhomogeneous soli ds. They include crack growth or kinking in bi-materials and damage process es of fiber-reinforced composites. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All right s reserved.