Pore–microcrack interaction governs failure in bioconsolidated space bricks

Dawara, V and Gupta, N and Dey, A and Kumar, A and Viswanathan, K (2022) Pore–microcrack interaction governs failure in bioconsolidated space bricks. In: Ceramics International .

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Abstract

Understanding the mechanical response and failure of consolidated extra-terrestrial soils requires analyses of the interactions between propagating cracks and the material's inherent pore structure. In this work, we investigate the fracture behaviour of lunar soil simulant consolidated using microbially induced calcite precipitation (MICP). We develop a numerical lattice network model using local beam elements to simulate the nucleation, propagation, branching, and merging of multiple cracks within a space brick subject to uniaxial compression. Our simulations capture the effects of local pores on crack paths as well as provide a means to predict the behaviour of samples with varying global porosity and/or uncertainties in local material stiffness. We identify multiple statistical lattice parameters that encode signatures of single or multiple crack growth events. Our results reveal the complexities involved in the fracture process with porous brittle solids and may easily be adapted to understand failure mechanisms and micro/macro crack evolution in other consolidated structures. © 2022 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Publication:	Ceramics International
Publisher:	Elsevier Ltd
Additional Information:	The copyright for this article belongs to Elsevier Ltd.
Keywords:	Brick; Brittleness; Calcite; Cracks; Crystal lattices; Pore structure, Disordered materials; Lattice models; Lunar regolith; Mechanical failures; Mechanical response; Microcrack interaction; Multiple crack; Pores structure; Porous medium; Terrestrial soils, Brittle fracture
Department/Centre:	Division of Mechanical Sciences > Mechanical Engineering
Date Deposited:	23 Oct 2022 06:06
Last Modified:	23 Oct 2022 06:06
URI:	https://eprints.iisc.ac.in/id/eprint/77448

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