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Nonlinear Strain-limiting Elasticity for Fracture Propagation with Phase-Field Approach

The conventional model governing the spread of fractures in elastic material is formulated by coupling linear elasticity with deformation systems. The classical linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) model is derived based on the assumption of small strain values. However, since the strain values in the model are linearly proportional to the stress values, the strain value can be large if the stress value increases. Thus this results in the contradiction of the assumption to LEFM and it is one of the major disadvantages of the model. In particular, this singular behavior of the strain values is often observed especially near the crack-tip, and it may not accurately predict realistic phenomena. Thus, we investigate the framework of a new class of theoretical model, which is known as the nonlinear strain-limiting model. The advantage of the nonlinear strain-limiting models over LEFM is that the strain value remains bounded even if the stress value tends to the infinity. This is achieved by assuming the nonlinear relation between the strain and stress in the derivation of the model. Moreover, we consider the quasi-static fracture propagation by coupling with the phase-field approach to present the effectiveness of the proposed strain-limiting model. Several numerical examples to evaluate and validate the performance of the new model and algorithms are presented. Detailed comparisons of the strain values, fracture energy, and fracture propagation speed between nonlinear strain-limiting model and LEFM for the quasi-static fracture propagation are discussed.