Peridynamic Modeling

An Alternative Approach to Analyzing Material Failure

A critical technology challenge for structural material applications in the aerospace and defense industries is to have a means for the reliable analysis of material damage and failure. Experimental structural assessments are typically expensive and often do not provide full information about coupled, multiscale damage processes. Computer-aided analysis has established itself as a useful tool for complementing experimental structural assessments. A comparative summary of current computer-aided approaches is presented in the accompanying table.

The Finite Element Method (FEM) has received widespread acceptance in the computer-aided assessments of the traditional macroscale materials and components. Extensions of classical FEM to model fracture and crack propagation were also developed. Recently, a peridynamic virtual testing that unifies the mechanics of continuous media, cracks, and discrete particles emerged as an enhancement to FEM modeling.