A hybrid peridynamics-FEM model for weakly coupled thermo-mechanical fracture of brittle and quasi-brittle solids

In this study, a single-layer hybrid peridynamics (PD)-FEM model is proposed to well predict brittle and quasi-brittle fracture under thermo-mechanical loading. The focus of our research is on the weakly coupled thermo-mechanical quasi-static fracture analysis. The same PD-FEM discretization is kept in both the heat conduction and mechanical analysis processes. Bond-based PD is used in the heat conduction process for its efficiency, while non-ordinary state-based PD is adopted in mechanical analysis due to its superior potential for complex constitutive modeling. The influence of crack evolution on both the heat conduction and mechanical analysis processes is directly described through the status of PD bonds. Then, to accurately describe thermo-mechanical brittle and quasi-brittle fracture, a critical bond energybased failure model is established for determining brittle failure behavior of PD bonds, while a quasi-brittle bond failure model built upon the idea of nonlocal cohesive zone model is established to describe quasi-brittle failure behavior. Moreover, a hybrid implicit-explicit scheme is implemented to solve the PD-FEM coupling model for thermo-mechanical fracture. Finally, we choose some typical examples to well validate the PD-FEM model, and the results clearly indicate that it is robust and mesh-insensitive for thermo-mechanical brittle and quasibrittle fracture.