In this review, we present our recent results for atomistic mechanisms of damage nucleation and growth and dynamic fracture in silica glass. These results have been obtained with multimillion-to-billion atom, parallel, molecular dynamics simulations of (1) the interaction and coalescence of nanovoids in amorphous silica subjected to dilatational strain and (2) the nucleation, growth and healing...

To asses fracture risk, bone mineral density (BMD) measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is the most commonly used tool. The search for clinical risk factors is also advised and can provide a 10-year fracture probability (FRAX model). Another important determinant of bone strength is bone remodeling. High bone remodeling rates have been associated with a higher fracture risk and bo...

Introduction In fracture healing mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) infiltrate the wound site, proliferate extensively and differentiate along a cartilaginous or an osteogenic lineage in response to local environmental cues. The mechanical environment within a fracture callus may regulate endochondral ossification during fracture healing in one of two ways. Firstly, the biophysical stimuli, such as ...

We investigate propagating fronts in disordered media that belong to the universality class of wetting contact lines and planar tensile crack fronts. We derive from first principles their nonlinear equations of motion, using the generalized Griffith criterion for crack fronts and three standard mobility laws for contact lines. Then we study their roughness using the self-consistent expansion. W...

Fatigue precracked specimens of three titanium alloys (6Al-4V, ELI, and Timetal 5111) were dynamically loaded in a drop weight tower system while the dynamic fracture toughness was inferred using Coherent Gradient Sensing, crack opening displacement, or strain gage methods. A comparison of the initiation toughness of the three materials as a function of loading rate and specimen thickness is made.

The stability of a rapid dynamic crack in a two-dimensional infinite strip is studied in the framework of linear elastic fracture mechanics supplemented with a modified principle of local symmetry. It is predicted that a single crack becomes unstable by a finite wavelength oscillatory mode at a velocity vc, 0.8cR<vc<0.85cR, where cR is the Rayleigh wave speed. The relevance of this theoretical ...

Abstract The coupled criterion of Finite Fracture Mechanics (FFM) has already been successfully applied to assess the brittle failure initiation in cracked and notched structures subjected quasi-static loading conditions. FFM originality lies addressing onset through simultaneous fulfilment a stress requirement energy balance, both computed over finite distance ahead raiser. Accordingly, this l...