Simulation of the thermal shock of brittle materials using the finite-discrete element method

The thermal shock failure of brittle materials is a very common problem in the fields of machinery, metallurgy, aerospace and civil engineering. In this paper, a coupled thermomechanical model based on the finite-discrete element method is used to simulate crack initiation and propagation during the thermal shock of ceramic specimens. The effects of the initial temperature, thermal conductivity and heat transfer coefficient on the thermal shock of ceramics were investigated. The crack morphology shows obvious periodical and hierarchical characteristics for ceramic specimens under thermal shock. The total number of cracks in the thermal shock process increases and the crack spacing decreases as the initial temperature of the ceramic or the heat transfer coefficient between water and ceramic increase. However, as the thermal conductivity increases, the total number of cracks decrease and the crack spacing increases.