Application of cohesive zone model to the fracture process of freshwater polycrystalline ice under flexural loading

Cohesive zone modeling is a promising technique for modeling fracture processes in polycrystalline solids. The Park-Paulino-Roesler (PPR) formulation for cohesive zones is a flexible method that allows one to reproduce behaviours of a wide range of materials. In this work, an implicit finite element simulation is performed to capture the fracture of freshwater, polycrystalline ice beams in 4-point bending tests. The distribution of the damaged cohesive zones and the indentation force are recorded as a function of time. Several simulations are performed to establish the relationship between the grain size and the flexural strength of the beams.