Simulation of crack growth and interaction in compression

The Fairhurst-Cook model of extensive 2-D crack growth in compression is verified via different numerical techniques. Experimental results show that even though in 3-D, single cracks do not grow extensively, in samples with two suitably located cracks new large cracks can be produced which tend to split the sample. In multicrack situations with high crack densities either new cracks are initiated or wings of some existing cracks are made to grow further. On the basis of the dipole (far-field) asymptotic model, it has been found that although the effect of crack interaction is negligible even for crack spacings comparable with their diameter, there are special crack locations where the crack-generated stresses…