Gao-Feng Zhao, Kaiwen Xia

The spontaneous crack growth in an infinite domain is studied using the distinct lattice spring model (DLSM).The kinetic energy, strain energy, crack opening, and crack branching during the crack growth are investigatednumerically using a simple spring model. The discrete simulation satisfactorily reproduces the experimentalobservations and the theoretical predictions of the fracture energy increase even without considering the cracktip damage zone and crack bifurcation. Moreover, from analysis of the intrinsic fracture energy release rate, itwas concluded that the observed fracture energy increase should originate from the distribution of kinetic energyduring self-similar crack growth.