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 […]