Luigi Greco

High-order Phase-Field Models for accurate and efficient 

fracture simulations via Isogeometric discretization: 

theoretical aspects and experimental applications.

Fracture phenomena can compromise the functionality of structural elements and industrial components, making their prevention a fundamental design requirement. Phase-field models have become increasingly popular for simulating complex crack propagation, thanks to their versatility and robustness. However, standard phase-field approaches often come with high computational costs.

This talk presents high-order phase-field models for fracture, which allow for a reduction of the computational cost by exploiting the increased regularity of the problem. Isogeometric Analysis is employed as a discretization framework, enabling an efficient treatment of high-order terms. The approach is assessed through a numerical-experimental comparison, aimed at reproducing the observed crack patterns and key engineering quantities of interest, thus demonstrating its ability to capture relevant fracture behaviour in practical applications.