ABSTRACT:
In this talk, I will describe recent attempts at devising a rigorous framework for the analysis and numerical simulation of crack propagation in heterogeneous materials. I will focus on the challenge of devising a mathematically sound and mechanistically coherent concept of effective toughness and computing it.
I will first explain how classical theories such as homogenization fail to provide a meaningful answer to this question. Then, I will propose a framework based on the idea of computational homogenization in trajectory space. I will how it can account for new toughening mechanisms induced by heterogeneities. Finally, I will present classes of meta-materials exhibiting unconventional fracture properties.