Next week: Hudson Borja da Rocha, 31-Mar-26, 12:20pm Central
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Ellad Tadmor
Mar 25, 2026, 9:44:33 AM (8 days ago) Mar 25
to aem-solid...@umn.edu
AEM Mechanics Research Seminar
Tuesday 31-Mar-2026, 12:20pm Central
Prof. Hudson Borja da Rocha
Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geo-Engineering University of Minnesota
Title: Damage localization as a bifurcation phenomenon and the resulting fracture patterns in soft materials
Abstract: Classically, cavity growth—the expansion of a small void inside a soft solid—has been studied through the lens of elasticity, focusing on cavitation limits and smooth, reversible deformation. Yet, in real materials this process rarely remains purely elastic: cavity expansion typically culminates in fracture, producing lobed or branched fracture patterns. In this talk, I will show how such fractures arise from a damage-induced bifurcation, revealed through a gradient-damage framework coupled with nonlinear elasticity. This approach bridges elasticity and fracture by treating damage as a continuous internal variable that captures the progressive loss of stiffness preceding crack formation. The bifurcation analysis identifies the critical thresholds where symmetric cavity growth transitions into localized, multi-lobed modes, and uncovers how geometry, toughness, and intrinsic length scales dictate both the onset and morphology of fracture patterns. Comparisons with finite-element simulations expose delayed and mode-dependent bifurcations, highlighting limitations of classical numerical formulations and underscoring the need for analytical benchmarks to accurately predict crack nucleation in soft materials.
For more information, visit the AEM Mechanics Research Seminar website:
Tuesday 31-Mar-2026, 12:20pm Central
In-person: Room 321, Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota
Online: Webinar registration link
Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geo-Engineering University of Minnesota
Title: Damage localization as a bifurcation phenomenon and the resulting fracture patterns in soft materials
Abstract: Classically, cavity growth—the expansion of a small void inside a soft solid—has been studied through the lens of elasticity, focusing on cavitation limits and smooth, reversible deformation. Yet, in real materials this process rarely remains purely elastic: cavity expansion typically culminates in fracture, producing lobed or branched fracture patterns. In this talk, I will show how such fractures arise from a damage-induced bifurcation, revealed through a gradient-damage framework coupled with nonlinear elasticity. This approach bridges elasticity and fracture by treating damage as a continuous internal variable that captures the progressive loss of stiffness preceding crack formation. The bifurcation analysis identifies the critical thresholds where symmetric cavity growth transitions into localized, multi-lobed modes, and uncovers how geometry, toughness, and intrinsic length scales dictate both the onset and morphology of fracture patterns. Comparisons with finite-element simulations expose delayed and mode-dependent bifurcations, highlighting limitations of classical numerical formulations and underscoring the need for analytical benchmarks to accurately predict crack nucleation in soft materials.
For more information, visit the AEM Mechanics Research Seminar website:
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Ellad B. Tadmor, Ph.D.
Russell J. Penrose Professor
Department of Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics
University of Minnesota
https://dept.aem.umn.edu/~tadmor/
Russell J. Penrose Professor
Department of Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics
University of Minnesota
https://dept.aem.umn.edu/~tadmor/
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