Matrix-free phase-field modeling of fracture in micromechanical testing simulations of inelastic materials
Resolving steep damage gradients across diffuse cracks in the phase-field modeling of fracture favors the use of high-order finite elements, for which matrix-free methods can provide superior performance and scalability. Here, we implement the Peric & Dettmer constitutive framework for visco-elastoplastic materials in an open source solid mechanics library supporting matrix-free operators for high-order finite elements with p-multigrid preconditioning on GPUs. We introduce a rheological fracture element assembled in series with the Peric & Dettmer block, keeping fracture and inelastic material properties mutually independent. We conduct numerical simulations of tensile and compressive quasistatic tests on synthetic particle-matrix microstructures using an El Capitan high-performance computing prototype. The results reproduce representative inelastic responses and fracture patterns, including X-shaped cracking observed in polymer-bonded explosives and cup-and-cone fracture in ductile metals.