A hybrid experimental/numerical technique to extract cohesive fracture properties for mode-I fracture of quasi-brittle materials

We propose a hybrid technique to extract cohesive fracture properties of a quasi-brittle (not exhibiting bulk plasticity) material using an inverse numerical analysis and experimentation based on the optical technique of digital image correlation (DIC). Two options for the inverse analysis were used-a shape optimization approach, and a parameter optimization for a potential-based cohesive constitutive model, the so-called PPR (Park-Paulino-Roesler) model. The unconstrained, derivative free Nelder-Mead algorithm was used for optimization in the inverse analysis. The two proposed schemes were verified for realistic cases of varying initial guesses, and different synthetic and noisy displacement field data. As proof of concept, both schemes were applied to a Polymethyl-methacrylate (PMMA) quasi-static crack growth experiment where the near tip displacement field was obtained experimentally by DIC and was used as input to the optimization schemes. The technique was successful in predicting the applied load-displacement response of a four point bend edge cracked fracture specimen.