Strength-limiting phase-field

A new preprint with Corrado Maurini is out: arXiv:2607.29157. In this article, we focus on the antiplane version of the model introduced in arXiv:2506.22558, which handles crack propagation along unknown paths and nucleation governed by an arbitrary convex strength surface by degrading the strength instead of the stiffness. This model can be interpreted as a regularization of softening plasticity in which localization bands obey an equivalent cohesive law set by the strength domain and the toughness, while the role of the regularization length, when small compared to the elasto-cohesive length, is purely numerical. Strength, stiffness, and toughness thus become independent material data, and limit analysis, perfect plasticity, cohesive fracture, and brittle fracture merge into a single variational framework.

Bridging the gap between small-scale yielding, cohesive fracture and brittle fracture: evolution of the phase-field, plastic deformation, and stress magnitude near a crack tip.