stefano secchi - Profile on Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by stefano secchi

Traditional phenomenological constitutive relationships sometimes fail in the description of mech... more Traditional phenomenological constitutive relationships sometimes fail in the description of mechanical behaviour of plain concrete. In such circumstances more refined models are necessary, which takes into account the multiphase structure of the material. This paper presents a generalised finite element formulation, which incorporates solid and fluid phases together with a temperature field. The model is developed to obtain time-dependent solutions of 2-D cases, such as concrete gravity dams subjected to loading-unloading cycles, non-homogeneous specimens subjected to thermo-mechanical effects, etc. A fully coupled cohesive-fracture discrete model, which includes thermal and hydraulic loads, is adopted to describe crack nucleation and propagation. The evolution of fractures leads to continuous topological changes of the domain and these are handled by systematic local remeshing of the domain and by a continuous change of fluid and thermal boundary conditions. In the adopted approac...

Fondamenti di Dinamica e di Ingegneria Sismica

This paper presents a numerical procedure for cohesive hydraulic fracture propagation. The quasi ... more This paper presents a numerical procedure for cohesive hydraulic fracture propagation. The quasi static problem of crack nucleation and/or advancement is solved by successive remeshing when domain changes are originated and projections are required in a backward solution scheme. This projection is directly applied to residual nodal vectors (forces and fluxes) of the previous step. This vector is projected using the element shape functions of the old mesh, hence ensuring the fulfilment of the balance equations. The resulting procedure is simple, however checks have to be made on its capability of conserving the energy.

Time domain flutter analysis of the Great Belt East Bridge

Wind and Structures, 2002

ABSTRACT

Icf11 Italy 2005, May 24, 2013

Traditional phenomenological constitutive relationships sometimes fail in the description of mech... more Traditional phenomenological constitutive relationships sometimes fail in the description of mechanical behaviour of plain concrete. In such circumstances more refined models are necessary, which takes into account the multiphase structure of the material. This paper presents a generalised finite element formulation, which incorporates solid and fluid phases together with a temperature field. The model is developed to obtain time-dependent solutions of 2-D cases, such as concrete gravity dams subjected to loading-unloading cycles, non-homogeneous specimens subjected to thermo-mechanical effects, etc. A fully coupled cohesive-fracture discrete model, which includes thermal and hydraulic loads, is adopted to describe crack nucleation and propagation. The evolution of fractures leads to continuous topological changes of the domain and these are handled by systematic local remeshing of the domain and by a continuous change of fluid and thermal boundary conditions. In the adopted approach, cracks may nucleate everywhere depending only on the stress field and propagate along paths and with a velocity of the tip that is a priori unknown. The determination of the crack path and the velocity of the tip propagation represent an important part of the solution, as the temperature and stress fields and allows for correct updating of the domain. Governing equations are firstly presented together with their space discretization. The solution procedure is finally discussed in particular as far as the projection of the solution between two successive meshes is concerned.

Lecture Notes in Applied and Computational Mechanics, 2012

Traditional phenomenological constitutive relationships sometimes fail in the description of mech... more Traditional phenomenological constitutive relationships sometimes fail in the description of mechanical behaviour of plain concrete. In such circumstances more refined models are necessary, which takes into account the multiphase structure of the material. This paper presents a generalised finite element formulation, which incorporates solid and fluid phases together with a temperature field. The model is developed to obtain time-dependent solutions of 2-D cases, such as concrete gravity dams subjected to loading-unloading cycles, non-homogeneous specimens subjected to thermo-mechanical effects, etc. A fully coupled cohesive-fracture discrete model, which includes thermal and hydraulic loads, is adopted to describe crack nucleation and propagation. The evolution of fractures leads to continuous topological changes of the domain and these are handled by systematic local remeshing of the domain and by a continuous change of fluid and thermal boundary conditions. In the adopted approach, cracks may nucleate everywhere depending only on the stress field and propagate along paths and with a velocity of the tip that is a priori unknown. The determination of the crack path and the velocity of the tip propagation represent an important part of the solution, as the temperature and stress fields and allows for correct updating of the domain. Governing equations are firstly presented together with their space discretization. The solution procedure is finally discussed in particular as far as the projection of the solution between two successive meshes is concerned.

Asia Pacific Journal on Computational Engineering, 2014

Background: Simulation of pressure-induced fracture in two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional... more Background: Simulation of pressure-induced fracture in two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) fully saturated porous media is presented together with some peculiar features. Methods: A cohesive fracture model is adopted together with a discrete crack and without predetermined fracture path. The fracture is filled with interface elements which in the 2D case are quadrangular and triangular elements and in the 3D case are either tetrahedral or wedge elements. The Rankine criterion is used for fracture nucleation and advancement. In a 2D setting the fracture follows directly the direction normal to the maximum principal stress while in the 3D case the fracture follows the face of the element around the fracture tip closest to the normal direction of the maximum principal stress at the tip. The procedure requires continuous updating of the mesh around the crack tip to take into account the evolving geometry. The updated mesh is obtained by means of an efficient mesh generator based on Delaunay tessellation. The governing equations are written in the framework of porous media mechanics and are solved numerically in a fully coupled manner. Results: Numerical examples dealing with well injection (constant inflow) in a geological setting and hydraulic fracture in 2D and 3D concrete dams (increasing pressure) conclude the paper. A counterexample involving thermomecanically driven fracture, also a coupled problem, is included as well. Conclusions: The examples highlight some peculiar features of hydraulic fracture propagation. In particular the adopted method is able to capture the hints of Self-Organized Criticality featured by hydraulic fracturing.

This phenomenon occurs in certain conditions, in steel ropes or textile (e.g. mountaineering) rop... more This phenomenon occurs in certain conditions, in steel ropes or textile (e.g. mountaineering) ropes, in the latter in ways which are linked to the characteristics of the synthetic fibres in question. Tests have been performed on ropes stressed according to U.I.A.A. standards, simulating a locked-end fall-factor 2. In these conditions, a notch applied suddenly and to a sufficient depth, causes the rope to break instantly. The tests, however, show that if the notch is applied slowly the rope gradually cut down to the last fibre, and that the phenomenon does not occur if the notch is present before the application of the force even if it is applied dynamically. Special tools used in the experimental tests are described and the results of both experimental tests and numerical model analysis are provided.

Cohesive fracture in thermoelastic medium: a coupled analysis

The paper presents a fully-coupled numerical model for the analysis of fracture initiation and pr... more The paper presents a fully-coupled numerical model for the analysis of fracture initiation and propagation in a two dimensional non-homogeneous elastic medium driven by a transient thermal field. Cohesive crack behaviour is assumed for the solid. The solution of the coupled problem is obtained using the finite element method. Evolution of the process zone results in continuous changes of the domain topology. This is accounted for by updating the boundary geometry and successive remeshing of the domain. Optimality of the shape of the finite elements generated is controlled and the mesh density is adjusted adaptively on the basis of an error indicator which is calculated using the solution at previous steps. A numerical test case is presented, which demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed procedure.

A numerical analysis of the biomechanical response of the periodontal ligament is presented. A mu... more A numerical analysis of the biomechanical response of the periodontal ligament is presented. A multi-phase media formulation is developed for representing soft tissue constitutive models, and implemented in a specific finite element code. It is possible to simulate the presence of liquid phase permeating the extracellular material and to interpret the consequent time-dependent behaviour due to the fluid flux through periodontal ligament. The analysis of the mobility of human upper incisor, under the application of short time transversal forces, is reported. The numerical results are compared with in vivo experimental data. The agreement of different approaches confirms the effectiveness of the proposed model for investigation of the biomechanical behaviour of periodontal ligament under application of low magnitude forces, and represents the basis for the definition of a general multi-phase constitutive model.

Time Domain Flutter Analysis of The Vasco Da Gama Bridge

IABSE Symposium, Seoul 2001: Cable-Supported Bridges - Challenging Technical Limits, 2001

... [3] DIANA G. and CHELI F., Dinamica e vibrazione dei sistemi meccanici, 2° Vol., UTET Libreri... more ... [3] DIANA G. and CHELI F., Dinamica e vibrazione dei sistemi meccanici, 2° Vol., UTET Libreria, Torino, 1993. ... 12, Ed. Pubblicemento, Rome, 1998. [9] MARQUES DA SILVA F. and SARAIVA JG, “On the aerodynamic stability of the new Tagus bridge on Lisbon”, Proc. ...

Journal of Materials Processing Technology, 1997

The consequences of the ~~e~~rne~~~ of mass growing on the stress an strain state i.above a11 on ... more The consequences of the ~~e~~rne~~~ of mass growing on the stress an strain state i.above a11 on the evo~~ti~~ of relaxation processes soa~pled with damage) of brid girder sections are analysed in detail. uring the defo~atio~ process the mass of growing ~efo~~ab~e solids ay of a gradual addition of rm'rerial onto external surface of the sdk ?ication describes an I-s slab and, subsequent& based on the finite clement meths damage.

International Journal of Fracture, 2012

Your article is protected by copyright and all rights are held exclusively by Springer Science+Bu... more Your article is protected by copyright and all rights are held exclusively by Springer Science+Business Media B.V.. This e-offprint is for personal use only and shall not be selfarchived in electronic repositories. If you wish to self-archive your work, please use the accepted author's version for posting to your own website or your institution's repository. You may further deposit the accepted author's version on a funder's repository at a funder's request, provided it is not made publicly available until 12 months after publication.

This paper presents a numerical procedure for cohesive hydraulic fracture propagation. The quasi ... more This paper presents a numerical procedure for cohesive hydraulic fracture propagation. The quasi static problem of crack nucleation and/or advancement is solved by successive remeshing when domain changes are originated and projections are required in a backward solution scheme. This projection is directly applied to residual nodal vectors (forces and fluxes) of the previous step. This vector is projected using the element shape functions of the old mesh, hence ensuring the fulfilment of the balance equations. The resulting procedure is simple, however checks have to be made on its capability of conserving the energy.

2D and 3D Numerical Analysis of Fluid Pressure Induced Fracture

Poromechanics V, 2013

Simulation of 2D and 3D hydraulic fracturing in fully saturated porous media is presented. The di... more Simulation of 2D and 3D hydraulic fracturing in fully saturated porous media is presented. The discrete fracture/s is/are driven by the fluid pressure. A cohesive fracture model is adopted where in the 3D case the fracture follows the face of the element around the fracture tip which is closest to the normal direction of the maximum principal stress at the tip while in the 2D setting the fracture follows directly the direction normal to the maximum principal stress. No predetermined fracture path is needed. This requires continuous updating of the mesh around the crack tip to take into account the evolving geometry. The updating of the mesh is obtained by means of an efficient mesh generator based on Delaunay tessellation. The governing equations are written in the framework of porous media mechanics and are solved numerically in a fully coupled manner. Numerical examples dealing with well injection in a geological setting and hydraulic fracture in a concrete dam conclude the paper.

Frontiers of Architecture and Civil Engineering in China, 2011

Many problems are linked with the long term behaviour of dams, both earth-dams and concrete dams.... more Many problems are linked with the long term behaviour of dams, both earth-dams and concrete dams. They range from hydraulic fracturing to alkali-silica reaction and to repair work in concrete dams, from seismic behaviour to secondary consolidation in earth-dams. A common framework for simulation of such systems is shown, based on the mechanics of multiphase porous media. The general model is particularized to specific situations and several examples are shown.

Snapping of ropes under stress

ABSTRACT

International Journal for Numerical and Analytical Methods in Geomechanics, 2007

This paper presents a numerical procedure for cohesive hydraulic fracture problems in a multiphas... more This paper presents a numerical procedure for cohesive hydraulic fracture problems in a multiphase system. The transient problem of crack nucleation and/or advancement, with the ensuing topological changes, is solved by successive remeshing and projection of the field variables required in the time marching scheme. The projection is directly applied to the nodal vector of the previous step and is performed by means of a suitable mapping operator which acts on nodal forces and fluxes. This hence ensures ‘a priori’ the local fulfilment of the balance equations (equilibrium and mass conservation). The resulting procedure is computationally simple; however checks have to be made on its capability of conserving strain energy of the system. The latter property together with the accuracy of the solution is heuristically assessed on the basis of numerical benchmarks. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Computers & Structures, 2004

This paper presents a mathematical model for the analysis of cohesive fracture propagation throug... more This paper presents a mathematical model for the analysis of cohesive fracture propagation through a non-homogeneous porous medium. Governing equations are stated within the frame of Biot's theory, accounting for the¯ow through the solid skeleton, along the fracture and across its sides toward the surrounding medium. The numerical solution is obtained in a 2D context, exploiting the capabilities of an ef®cient mesh generator, and requires continuous updating of the domain as the fractures enucleate and propagate. It results that fracture paths and their velocity of propagation, usually assumed as known, are supplied directly by the model without introducing any simplifying assumption.

Traditional phenomenological constitutive relationships sometimes fail in the description of mech... more Traditional phenomenological constitutive relationships sometimes fail in the description of mechanical behaviour of plain concrete. In such circumstances more refined models are necessary, which takes into account the multiphase structure of the material. This paper presents a generalised finite element formulation, which incorporates solid and fluid phases together with a temperature field. The model is developed to obtain time-dependent solutions of 2-D cases, such as concrete gravity dams subjected to loading-unloading cycles, non-homogeneous specimens subjected to thermo-mechanical effects, etc. A fully coupled cohesive-fracture discrete model, which includes thermal and hydraulic loads, is adopted to describe crack nucleation and propagation. The evolution of fractures leads to continuous topological changes of the domain and these are handled by systematic local remeshing of the domain and by a continuous change of fluid and thermal boundary conditions. In the adopted approac...

Fondamenti di Dinamica e di Ingegneria Sismica

This paper presents a numerical procedure for cohesive hydraulic fracture propagation. The quasi ... more This paper presents a numerical procedure for cohesive hydraulic fracture propagation. The quasi static problem of crack nucleation and/or advancement is solved by successive remeshing when domain changes are originated and projections are required in a backward solution scheme. This projection is directly applied to residual nodal vectors (forces and fluxes) of the previous step. This vector is projected using the element shape functions of the old mesh, hence ensuring the fulfilment of the balance equations. The resulting procedure is simple, however checks have to be made on its capability of conserving the energy.

Time domain flutter analysis of the Great Belt East Bridge

Wind and Structures, 2002

ABSTRACT

Icf11 Italy 2005, May 24, 2013

Traditional phenomenological constitutive relationships sometimes fail in the description of mech... more Traditional phenomenological constitutive relationships sometimes fail in the description of mechanical behaviour of plain concrete. In such circumstances more refined models are necessary, which takes into account the multiphase structure of the material. This paper presents a generalised finite element formulation, which incorporates solid and fluid phases together with a temperature field. The model is developed to obtain time-dependent solutions of 2-D cases, such as concrete gravity dams subjected to loading-unloading cycles, non-homogeneous specimens subjected to thermo-mechanical effects, etc. A fully coupled cohesive-fracture discrete model, which includes thermal and hydraulic loads, is adopted to describe crack nucleation and propagation. The evolution of fractures leads to continuous topological changes of the domain and these are handled by systematic local remeshing of the domain and by a continuous change of fluid and thermal boundary conditions. In the adopted approach, cracks may nucleate everywhere depending only on the stress field and propagate along paths and with a velocity of the tip that is a priori unknown. The determination of the crack path and the velocity of the tip propagation represent an important part of the solution, as the temperature and stress fields and allows for correct updating of the domain. Governing equations are firstly presented together with their space discretization. The solution procedure is finally discussed in particular as far as the projection of the solution between two successive meshes is concerned.

Lecture Notes in Applied and Computational Mechanics, 2012

Traditional phenomenological constitutive relationships sometimes fail in the description of mech... more Traditional phenomenological constitutive relationships sometimes fail in the description of mechanical behaviour of plain concrete. In such circumstances more refined models are necessary, which takes into account the multiphase structure of the material. This paper presents a generalised finite element formulation, which incorporates solid and fluid phases together with a temperature field. The model is developed to obtain time-dependent solutions of 2-D cases, such as concrete gravity dams subjected to loading-unloading cycles, non-homogeneous specimens subjected to thermo-mechanical effects, etc. A fully coupled cohesive-fracture discrete model, which includes thermal and hydraulic loads, is adopted to describe crack nucleation and propagation. The evolution of fractures leads to continuous topological changes of the domain and these are handled by systematic local remeshing of the domain and by a continuous change of fluid and thermal boundary conditions. In the adopted approach, cracks may nucleate everywhere depending only on the stress field and propagate along paths and with a velocity of the tip that is a priori unknown. The determination of the crack path and the velocity of the tip propagation represent an important part of the solution, as the temperature and stress fields and allows for correct updating of the domain. Governing equations are firstly presented together with their space discretization. The solution procedure is finally discussed in particular as far as the projection of the solution between two successive meshes is concerned.

Asia Pacific Journal on Computational Engineering, 2014

Background: Simulation of pressure-induced fracture in two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional... more Background: Simulation of pressure-induced fracture in two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) fully saturated porous media is presented together with some peculiar features. Methods: A cohesive fracture model is adopted together with a discrete crack and without predetermined fracture path. The fracture is filled with interface elements which in the 2D case are quadrangular and triangular elements and in the 3D case are either tetrahedral or wedge elements. The Rankine criterion is used for fracture nucleation and advancement. In a 2D setting the fracture follows directly the direction normal to the maximum principal stress while in the 3D case the fracture follows the face of the element around the fracture tip closest to the normal direction of the maximum principal stress at the tip. The procedure requires continuous updating of the mesh around the crack tip to take into account the evolving geometry. The updated mesh is obtained by means of an efficient mesh generator based on Delaunay tessellation. The governing equations are written in the framework of porous media mechanics and are solved numerically in a fully coupled manner. Results: Numerical examples dealing with well injection (constant inflow) in a geological setting and hydraulic fracture in 2D and 3D concrete dams (increasing pressure) conclude the paper. A counterexample involving thermomecanically driven fracture, also a coupled problem, is included as well. Conclusions: The examples highlight some peculiar features of hydraulic fracture propagation. In particular the adopted method is able to capture the hints of Self-Organized Criticality featured by hydraulic fracturing.

This phenomenon occurs in certain conditions, in steel ropes or textile (e.g. mountaineering) rop... more This phenomenon occurs in certain conditions, in steel ropes or textile (e.g. mountaineering) ropes, in the latter in ways which are linked to the characteristics of the synthetic fibres in question. Tests have been performed on ropes stressed according to U.I.A.A. standards, simulating a locked-end fall-factor 2. In these conditions, a notch applied suddenly and to a sufficient depth, causes the rope to break instantly. The tests, however, show that if the notch is applied slowly the rope gradually cut down to the last fibre, and that the phenomenon does not occur if the notch is present before the application of the force even if it is applied dynamically. Special tools used in the experimental tests are described and the results of both experimental tests and numerical model analysis are provided.

Cohesive fracture in thermoelastic medium: a coupled analysis

The paper presents a fully-coupled numerical model for the analysis of fracture initiation and pr... more The paper presents a fully-coupled numerical model for the analysis of fracture initiation and propagation in a two dimensional non-homogeneous elastic medium driven by a transient thermal field. Cohesive crack behaviour is assumed for the solid. The solution of the coupled problem is obtained using the finite element method. Evolution of the process zone results in continuous changes of the domain topology. This is accounted for by updating the boundary geometry and successive remeshing of the domain. Optimality of the shape of the finite elements generated is controlled and the mesh density is adjusted adaptively on the basis of an error indicator which is calculated using the solution at previous steps. A numerical test case is presented, which demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed procedure.

A numerical analysis of the biomechanical response of the periodontal ligament is presented. A mu... more A numerical analysis of the biomechanical response of the periodontal ligament is presented. A multi-phase media formulation is developed for representing soft tissue constitutive models, and implemented in a specific finite element code. It is possible to simulate the presence of liquid phase permeating the extracellular material and to interpret the consequent time-dependent behaviour due to the fluid flux through periodontal ligament. The analysis of the mobility of human upper incisor, under the application of short time transversal forces, is reported. The numerical results are compared with in vivo experimental data. The agreement of different approaches confirms the effectiveness of the proposed model for investigation of the biomechanical behaviour of periodontal ligament under application of low magnitude forces, and represents the basis for the definition of a general multi-phase constitutive model.

Time Domain Flutter Analysis of The Vasco Da Gama Bridge

IABSE Symposium, Seoul 2001: Cable-Supported Bridges - Challenging Technical Limits, 2001

... [3] DIANA G. and CHELI F., Dinamica e vibrazione dei sistemi meccanici, 2° Vol., UTET Libreri... more ... [3] DIANA G. and CHELI F., Dinamica e vibrazione dei sistemi meccanici, 2° Vol., UTET Libreria, Torino, 1993. ... 12, Ed. Pubblicemento, Rome, 1998. [9] MARQUES DA SILVA F. and SARAIVA JG, “On the aerodynamic stability of the new Tagus bridge on Lisbon”, Proc. ...

Journal of Materials Processing Technology, 1997

The consequences of the ~~e~~rne~~~ of mass growing on the stress an strain state i.above a11 on ... more The consequences of the ~~e~~rne~~~ of mass growing on the stress an strain state i.above a11 on the evo~~ti~~ of relaxation processes soa~pled with damage) of brid girder sections are analysed in detail. uring the defo~atio~ process the mass of growing ~efo~~ab~e solids ay of a gradual addition of rm'rerial onto external surface of the sdk ?ication describes an I-s slab and, subsequent& based on the finite clement meths damage.

International Journal of Fracture, 2012

Your article is protected by copyright and all rights are held exclusively by Springer Science+Bu... more Your article is protected by copyright and all rights are held exclusively by Springer Science+Business Media B.V.. This e-offprint is for personal use only and shall not be selfarchived in electronic repositories. If you wish to self-archive your work, please use the accepted author's version for posting to your own website or your institution's repository. You may further deposit the accepted author's version on a funder's repository at a funder's request, provided it is not made publicly available until 12 months after publication.

This paper presents a numerical procedure for cohesive hydraulic fracture propagation. The quasi ... more This paper presents a numerical procedure for cohesive hydraulic fracture propagation. The quasi static problem of crack nucleation and/or advancement is solved by successive remeshing when domain changes are originated and projections are required in a backward solution scheme. This projection is directly applied to residual nodal vectors (forces and fluxes) of the previous step. This vector is projected using the element shape functions of the old mesh, hence ensuring the fulfilment of the balance equations. The resulting procedure is simple, however checks have to be made on its capability of conserving the energy.

2D and 3D Numerical Analysis of Fluid Pressure Induced Fracture

Poromechanics V, 2013

Simulation of 2D and 3D hydraulic fracturing in fully saturated porous media is presented. The di... more Simulation of 2D and 3D hydraulic fracturing in fully saturated porous media is presented. The discrete fracture/s is/are driven by the fluid pressure. A cohesive fracture model is adopted where in the 3D case the fracture follows the face of the element around the fracture tip which is closest to the normal direction of the maximum principal stress at the tip while in the 2D setting the fracture follows directly the direction normal to the maximum principal stress. No predetermined fracture path is needed. This requires continuous updating of the mesh around the crack tip to take into account the evolving geometry. The updating of the mesh is obtained by means of an efficient mesh generator based on Delaunay tessellation. The governing equations are written in the framework of porous media mechanics and are solved numerically in a fully coupled manner. Numerical examples dealing with well injection in a geological setting and hydraulic fracture in a concrete dam conclude the paper.

Frontiers of Architecture and Civil Engineering in China, 2011

Many problems are linked with the long term behaviour of dams, both earth-dams and concrete dams.... more Many problems are linked with the long term behaviour of dams, both earth-dams and concrete dams. They range from hydraulic fracturing to alkali-silica reaction and to repair work in concrete dams, from seismic behaviour to secondary consolidation in earth-dams. A common framework for simulation of such systems is shown, based on the mechanics of multiphase porous media. The general model is particularized to specific situations and several examples are shown.

Snapping of ropes under stress

ABSTRACT

International Journal for Numerical and Analytical Methods in Geomechanics, 2007

This paper presents a numerical procedure for cohesive hydraulic fracture problems in a multiphas... more This paper presents a numerical procedure for cohesive hydraulic fracture problems in a multiphase system. The transient problem of crack nucleation and/or advancement, with the ensuing topological changes, is solved by successive remeshing and projection of the field variables required in the time marching scheme. The projection is directly applied to the nodal vector of the previous step and is performed by means of a suitable mapping operator which acts on nodal forces and fluxes. This hence ensures ‘a priori’ the local fulfilment of the balance equations (equilibrium and mass conservation). The resulting procedure is computationally simple; however checks have to be made on its capability of conserving strain energy of the system. The latter property together with the accuracy of the solution is heuristically assessed on the basis of numerical benchmarks. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Computers & Structures, 2004

This paper presents a mathematical model for the analysis of cohesive fracture propagation throug... more This paper presents a mathematical model for the analysis of cohesive fracture propagation through a non-homogeneous porous medium. Governing equations are stated within the frame of Biot's theory, accounting for the¯ow through the solid skeleton, along the fracture and across its sides toward the surrounding medium. The numerical solution is obtained in a 2D context, exploiting the capabilities of an ef®cient mesh generator, and requires continuous updating of the domain as the fractures enucleate and propagate. It results that fracture paths and their velocity of propagation, usually assumed as known, are supplied directly by the model without introducing any simplifying assumption.