Fracture in quasi-brittle materials, such as refractories and reinforced concrete, involves complex mechanisms due to a progressive micro-cracking process within a fracture process zone (FPZ). This study employs Wu's phase field model (PFM) to simulate fracture behaviour in a magnesia spinel refractory. The PFM integrates fracture mechanics and damage mechanics, predicting tortuous crack patterns when heterogeneous strength distribution is considered. Numerical simulations, including wedge splitting tests typically applied for fracture testing of refractories, demonstrate PFM's effectiveness in capturing fracture behaviour, offering a robust tool for simulation of fracture of refractories with reduced brittleness. Comparative analysis with experimental data confirms the model's accuracy and applicability.

中文翻译：

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使用相场断裂模型对镁尖晶石耐火材料进行断裂过程区建模


准脆性材料（如耐火材料和钢筋混凝土）的断裂涉及复杂的机制，这是由于断裂过程区 （FPZ） 内的渐进式微裂纹过程。本研究采用 Wu 的相场模型 （PFM） 来模拟镁尖晶石耐火材料的断裂行为。PFM 集成了断裂力学和损伤力学，在考虑非均质强度分布时预测曲折的裂纹模式。数值模拟，包括通常用于耐火材料断裂测试的楔块劈裂测试，证明了 PFM 在捕获断裂行为方面的有效性，为模拟脆性降低的耐火材料断裂提供了强大的工具。与实验数据的比较分析证实了该模型的准确性和适用性。