Siwei Zhang, Xiaozhou Xia^*, Xin Gu, Meilin Zong, Qing Zhang^*

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.145, No.3, pp. 3243-3278, 2025, DOI:10.32604/cmes.2025.073841 - 23 December 2025

Abstract This study presents a coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical-fatigue (THM-F) model, developed based on variational phase-field fatigue theory, to simulate the freeze-thaw (F-T) damage process in concrete. The fracture phase-field model incorporates the F-T fatigue mechanism driven by energy dissipation during the free energy growth stage. Using microscopic inclusion theory, we derive an evolution model of pore size distribution (PSD) for concrete under F-T cycles by treating pore water as columnar inclusions. Drawing upon pore ice crystal theory, calculation models that account for concrete PSD characteristics are established to determine ice saturation, permeability coefficient, and pore pressure. To… More >

Yuan Mei^1,2, Daokui Li^1,2, Shiming Zhou^1,2,*, Zhibin Shen^1,2

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.145, No.1, pp. 153-187, 2025, DOI:10.32604/cmes.2025.070252 - 30 October 2025

Abstract Viscoelastic solids, such as composite propellants, exhibit significant time and rate dependencies, and their fracture processes display high levels of nonlinearity. However, the correlation between crack propagation and viscoelastic energy dissipation in these materials remains unclear. Therefore, accurately modeling and understanding of their fracture behavior is crucial for relevant engineering applications. This study proposes a novel viscoelastic phase-field model. In the numerical implementation, the adopted adaptive time-stepping iterative strategy effectively accelerates the coupling iteration efficiency between the phase-field and the displacement field. Moreover, all unknown parameters in the model, including the form of the phase-field More >

Zhishui Sheng¹, Hong Jiang¹, Gang Liu², Fulai Zhang³, Wei Zhang^3,*

Structural Durability & Health Monitoring, Vol.19, No.3, pp. 531-548, 2025, DOI:10.32604/sdhm.2024.059662 - 03 April 2025

Abstract Concrete materials are employed extensively in a variety of large-scale structures due to their economic viability and superior mechanical properties. During the service life of concrete structures, they are inevitably subjected to damage from impact loading from natural disasters, such as earthquakes and storms. In recent years, the phase-field model has demonstrated exceptional capability in predicting the stochastic initiation, propagation, and bifurcation of cracks in materials. This study employs a phase-field model to focus on the rate dependency and failure response of concrete under impact deformation. A viscosity coefficient is introduced within the phase-field model… More >

Qingcheng Yang^1,*, Arkadz Kirshtein²

The International Conference on Computational & Experimental Engineering and Sciences, Vol.32, No.3, pp. 1-1, 2024, DOI:10.32604/icces.2024.011229

Abstract Sintering is a pivotal technology for processing ceramic and metallic powders into solid objects. A profound understanding of microstructure evolution during sintering is essential for manufacturing products with tailored properties. While various phase-field models have been proposed to simulate microstructure evolution in solid-state sintering, correctly incorporating the densification assumption—where particles move toward each other by rigid body motion—remains a challenge. The fundamental obstacle lies in the ad hoc treatment of particle motion, where the thermodynamical driving force cannot be derived from the system's free energy. In this work, we present a novel phase-field micromechanics model More >

Yuhong Zhao^1,2,3,*

The International Conference on Computational & Experimental Engineering and Sciences, Vol.30, No.4, pp. 1-1, 2024, DOI:10.32604/icces.2024.012951

Abstract For a long time, the phase-field method has been considered as a mesoscale phenomenological method lacking physical accuracy and unable to be associated with the mechanical/functional properties of materials, etc. Some misunderstandings existing in these viewpoints need to be clarified. Therefore, it is necessary to propose or adopt the perspective of “unified or unifying phase-field modeling (UPFM)” to address these issues, which means that phase-field modeling has multiple unifications. Specifically, the phase-field method is the perfect unity of thermodynamics and kinetics, the unity of multi-scale models from micro- to meso- and then to macroscopic scale, More >

Hongzhao Li¹, Peidong Li^1,*

The International Conference on Computational & Experimental Engineering and Sciences, Vol.29, No.2, pp. 1-1, 2024, DOI:10.32604/icces.2024.012711

Abstract Quasicrystals (QCs) are a new class of functional and structural materials with unusual properties, which have quasi-periodic translational symmetry and non-crystallographic rotational symmetry. Due to the special arrangement of atoms, compared with traditional materials, QCs have high strength, high hardness, and high wear resistance, and can be used as a particle reinforcement phase of polymer or metal matrix composites to improve the performance of materials. QC composites are a special type of composites in which the high strength and hardness of QCs can effectively enhance the mechanical properties of the composites while maintaining the lightweight… More >

Yong Pang¹, Peidong Li^1,*, Dingyu Li²

The International Conference on Computational & Experimental Engineering and Sciences, Vol.29, No.2, pp. 1-1, 2024, DOI:10.32604/icces.2024.011660

Abstract The thermo-elastic fracture problems of functionally graded materials (FGMs) are thoroughly investigated based on a phase field model. In this model, the material constants and fracture toughness vary with the spatial coordinates, the thermal conductivity and stiffness constants in the damaged regions are degraded by the phase-field variable, and the crack evolution is driven by the variation of elastic energy induced by the thermo-mechanical loading. Therefore, the temperature, mechanical and damage fields are coupled with each other. The finite element discretization of the governing equations and the numerical implementation details are provided. The validation of… More >

Ming Xue, Min Yi^*

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.140, No.2, pp. 1165-1204, 2024, DOI:10.32604/cmes.2024.049367 - 20 May 2024

Abstract Sintering, a well-established technique in powder metallurgy, plays a critical role in the processing of high melting point materials. A comprehensive understanding of structural changes during the sintering process is essential for effective product assessment. The phase-field method stands out for its unique ability to simulate these structural transformations. Despite its widespread application, there is a notable absence of literature reviews focused on its usage in sintering simulations. Therefore, this paper addresses this gap by reviewing the latest advancements in phase-field sintering models, covering approaches based on energy, grand potential, and entropy increase. The characteristics More >

Jun Zeng¹, Fucheng Tian^1,*

The International Conference on Computational & Experimental Engineering and Sciences, Vol.27, No.2, pp. 1-1, 2023, DOI:10.32604/icces.2023.09636

Abstract Instability in dynamic fracture suppresses crack velocity from reaching theoretical limit predicted by the classical linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM). In thin systems, crack can accelerate to near the theoretical limiting velocity without micro-branching instability. A dynamic oscillatory instability is observed at such extreme crack speed. This sinusoidal oscillation was further found to be governed by intrinsic nonlinear scale. Using a dynamic phase-field model (PFM) with no attenuation of wave speed, we successfully reproduce the oscillations in the framework of non-linear deformation. The used PFM model based on Griffith's theory and derived from the nonconservative… More >

Jiale Ji^1,*, Mengnan Zhang¹

The International Conference on Computational & Experimental Engineering and Sciences, Vol.27, No.2, pp. 1-1, 2023, DOI:10.32604/icces.2023.09632

Abstract The phase-field fracture (PFF) approach has achieved great triumphs in modeling quasi-static fracture. Nevertheless, its reliability in serving dynamic fractures still leaves something to be desired, such as the prediction of the limiting crack velocity. Using a pre-strained fracture configuration, we discovered a disturbing phenomenon that the crack limiting speed identified by the dynamic PFF model is not related to the specific material, which seriously deviates from the experimental observation. To ascertain the truth, we first ruled out the correlation between the limiting crack velocity on the phase-field characteristic scale and external loading. Afterward, by More >