Title: Material Point Method for solving fracture and contact mechanics problems

Abstract: Fracture represents a prominent failure mechanism in both materials and structural components. Detecting cracks early is crucial for implementing mitigation measures and preventing potential damage or structural failure. Over the past three decades, various methods have been introduced to simulate the initiation and growth of cracks. This presentation explores innovative approaches to fracture and contact mechanics, with a focus on the Phase-Field Material Point Method (PF-MPM) and its application in solving complex problems (Kakouris et al, 2019). PF-MPM arises from coupling phase-field damage models with the material point method, providing a robust alternative to conventional mesh-based methods. By formulating governing equations at material points and employing an Eulerian mesh, PF-MPM decouples crack path accuracy from mesh quality, reducing mesh distortion errors. Several benchmarks underscore PF-MPM's effectiveness in quasi-static and dynamic brittle fracture for isotropic and anisotropic materials. Additionally, the method's capabilities in addressing frictional contact problems involving fracture are highlighted.

References: Kakouris et al. (2019), "Phase-Field Material Point Method for dynamic brittle fracture with isotropic and anisotropic surface energy", Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering, 357, 112503, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cma.2019.06.014.

Bio: Dr. Emmanouil Kakouris is an Assistant Professor in Engineering at the University of Warwick. He earned his PhD in 2019 from the University of Nottingham, specializing in computational modeling of fracture in materials and structures. Emmanouil’s research interests include computational mechanics, multiscale modeling, artificial intelligence, and probabilistic evaluation of materials.

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