Simulation of cup-cone fracture using the cohesive model

The cohesive model is used for the prediction of the crack path during stable crack extension in ductile materials. The problem of crack-path deviation is investigated by means of simulation of crack propagation in a round tensile bar. The respective phenomenon is known as cup-cone fracture. It is shown that the model is able to predict the failure mechanism, which consists of normal fracture in the center and combined normal/shear fracture in the so-called shear lips at the specimen's rim. The damage evolution and crack path predicted by the model are presented. The effect of the normal and shear failure parameters on the crack-deflection point and several aspects of the finite element mesh are discussed. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.