Fast implicit solvers for phase-field fracture problems on heterogeneous microstructures

We study fast and memory-efficient FFT-based implicit solution methods for small-strain phase-field crack problems for microstructured brittle materials. A fully implicit first order formulation of the problem coupling elasticity and damage permits using comparatively few, but large, time steps compared to semi-explicit schemes. We investigate memory-efficient FFT-based solution techniques, and identify the heavy ball scheme as particularly powerful. We discuss the memory-efficient implementation and present demonstrative numerical examples. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.