Numerical investigation of deformation localization and crack formation in elastic brittle-plastic materials

Localized deformation band formation and crack generation in elastic brittle-plastic materials were simulated numerically in various loading conditions. Cracking patterns for a specimen with a failed inclusion and for a damaged layer of a geomedium in shear, as well as for a sandstone specimen in compression, were obtained. To describe deformation, a complex approach was used. According to this approach, in the course of plastic deformation damages are accumulated and govern bulk plastic deformation. Due to damage accumulation, strength decreases and material degradation occurs, while macrocrack opening and material fracture take place only under the action of tensile stresses.