Phys.org September 2, 2024 When porous materials are subjected to compressive loads, localized failure chains or anticracks, can occur and cause large-scale structural failure. The resistance to anticrack growth is governed by fracture toughness. To understand more about the mixed-mode fracture toughness for highly porous materials subjected to shear and compression, an international team of researchers (Germany, Switzerland) designed fracture mechanical field experiments tailored for weak layers in a natural snowpack. Using a mechanical model for interpretation, they calculated the fracture toughness for anticrack growth for the full range of mode interactions, from pure shear to pure collapse. The measurements […]
Tag Archives: Computational modeling
Scientists develop new approach to predict how liquids freeze
Phys.org March 18, 2021 Denser phases and the complexity of the freezing liquids into solids are a challenge for computational modelling. Researchers in the UK developed novel computational approaches to study wax which has multiple frozen arrangements. Using their method, they were able to predict its melting point within 2°C of the experimental value. Like waxes, oils such as diesel fuel can also freeze at many stages and exhibit different solid properties. Therefore, methods to predict the molecular and atomic intricacies of liquid transitions to different types of ‘solid’ oils could have several potential real-world applications, from helping better predict […]