How glass breaks -- Damage explains the difference between surface and fracture energies in amorphous silica

2024/12/16 by Molnár, Gergely, Barthel, Etienne · 1 citation
#FOS: Physical sciences #Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci) #Soft Condensed Matter (cond-mat.soft)

paper · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2412.11817

Abstract

The difference between free surface energy and fracture toughness in amorphous silica is studied via multi-scale simulations. We combine the homogenization of a molecular dynamics fracture model with a phase-field approach to track and quantify the various energy contributions. We clearly separate free surface energy localized as potential energy on the surface and damage diffusion over a 16-23 A range around the crack path. The plastic contribution is negligible. These findings, which clarify brittle fracture mechanisms in amorphous materials, align with toughness measurements in silica.

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• A Combined Microbeam and Phase-Field Approach to Identify the Toughness and Ultimate Strength of Amorphous Silica

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