Model order reduction for fast phase-field fracture simulations

This collaboration will develop techniques to accelerate fracture mechanics simulations of both academic and industrial interest. Through research visits and the organisation of a workshop, the PI's expertise in numerical fracture and model order reduction methods will be combined with the Partner's leading research in phase-field methods to address the challenges involved. Fracture mechanics simulations play an important role in the development of materials and structural components across several industries, such as the aerospace, composites and automotive. However the use of such simulations is often limited due to the complexity of the phenomena involved, which include complex material behaviour and topological changes associated with the formation, propagation and coalescence of cracks. Recent developments in the field have resulted in new approaches, such as phase-field models, that can very effectively tackle all associated challenges, at the cost of producing very large, and therefore computationally expensive models. The project will leverage established numerical tools to develop novel methods to reduce the size of such models by exploiting i) the localised nature and ii) progressive evolution of fracture.