Surface-based Cohesive Behavior

Lecture 6
 L6.2

Overview

Surface-based Cohesive Behavior

Element- vs. Surface-based Cohesive Behavior
Workshop 3 (Part 2)

Modeling Fracture and Failure with Abaqus

Surface-based Cohesive Behavior
 L6.4

Surface-based Cohesive Behavior

Surface-based cohesive behavior provides a simplified way to model

cohesive connections with negligibly small interface thicknesses using the
traction-separation constitutive model.
It can also model sticky contact (surfaces can bond after coming into
contact).
The cohesive surface behavior can be defined for general contact in
Abaqus/Explicit and contact pairs in Abaqus/Standard (with the
exception of the finite-sliding, surface-to-surface formulation).
Cohesive surface behavior is defined as a surface interaction property.
To prevent overconstraints in Abaqus/Explicit, a pure master-slave
formulation is enforced for surfaces with cohesive behavior.

Modeling Fracture and Failure with Abaqus

 L6.5

Surface-based Cohesive Behavior

User interface
Abaqus/CAE
Abaqus/Standard
*SURFACE INTERACTION, NAME=cohesive
*COHESIVE BEHAVIOR
...
*CONTACT PAIR, INTERACTION=cohesive
surface1, surface2

Abaqus/Explicit
*SURFACE INTERACTION, NAME=cohesive
*COHESIVE BEHAVIOR
...
*CONTACT
*CONTACT PROPERTY ASSIGNMENT
surface1, surface2, cohesive

Modeling Fracture and Failure with Abaqus

 L6.6

Surface-based Cohesive Behavior

The formulae and laws that govern surface-based cohesive behavior are
very similar to those used for cohesive elements with traction-separation
behavior: traction
linear elastic traction-separation,
damage initiation criteria, and GC
damage evolution laws. separation
However, it is important to recognize that damage in surface-based
cohesive behavior is an interaction property, not a material property.
Traction and separation are interpreted differently for cohesive elements
and cohesive surfaces:
Cohesive elements Cohesive surfaces
Relative displacement ()
between the top and bottom
of the cohesive layer
separation Nominal strain () = Contact separation ()
Initial thickness (To)

traction Nominal stress () Contact force (F)

Contact stress (t) =
Current area (A) at
each contact point
Modeling Fracture and Failure with Abaqus
 L6.7

Surface-based Cohesive Behavior

Linear elastic traction-separation behavior

Relates normal and shear stresses to the normal and shear separations
across the interface before the initiation of damage.
By default, elastic properties are based on underlying element stiffness.
Can optionally specify the properties.
Recall this specification is required for cohesive elements.
The traction-separation behavior can be uncoupled (default) or coupled.

*COHESIVE BEHAVIOR, TYPE= { UNCOUPLED, COUPLED}

Optional data line to specify Knn, Kss, Ktt

Modeling Fracture and Failure with Abaqus

 L6.8

Surface-based Cohesive Behavior

Controlling the cohered nodes

The slave nodes to which cohesive behavior is applied can be controlled
to define a wider range of cohesive interactions: Can include:
All slave nodes
Only slave nodes initially in contact
Initially bonded node set
1 Applying cohesive behavior to all slave nodes (default)
Cohesive constraint forces potentially act on all nodes of the
slave surface.
Slave nodes that are not initially contacting the master surface
can also experience cohesive forces if they contact the master
surface during the analysis.
*COHESIVE BEHAVIOR,
ELIGIBILITY = CURRENT CONTACTS

Modeling Fracture and Failure with Abaqus

 L6.9

Surface-based Cohesive Behavior

2 Applying cohesive behavior only to slave nodes initially in contact

Restrict cohesive behavior to only those slave nodes that are in

contact with the master surface at the start of a step.
Any new contact that occurs during the step will not experience
cohesive constraint forces.
Only compressive contact is modeled for new contact.

*COHESIVE BEHAVIOR,
ELIGIBILITY = ORIGINAL CONTACTS

Modeling Fracture and Failure with Abaqus

 L6.10

Surface-based Cohesive Behavior

3 Applying cohesive behavior only to an initially bonded node set

(Abaqus/Standard only)
Restrict cohesive behavior to a subset of slave nodes defined
using *INITIAL CONDITIONS, TYPE=CONTACT.
All slave nodes outside of this set will experience only
compressive contact forces during the analysis.
This method is particularly useful for modeling crack
propagation along an existing fault line.

*COHESIVE BEHAVIOR,
ELIGIBILITY = SPECIFIED CONTACTS

Modeling Fracture and Failure with Abaqus

 L6.11

Surface-based Cohesive Behavior

Example: Double cantilever beam (DCB)

Analyze debonding of the DCB model using the surface-based cohesive
behavior in Abaqus/Standard.
To model debonding using surface-based cohesive behavior,
you must define:
1 contact pairs and initially bonded crack surfaces;
2 the traction-separation behavior;
3 the damage initiation criterion; and
4 the damage evolution.
You may also
5 specify viscous regularization to facilitate solution convergence
in Abaqus/Standard. u
Note: Steps 3, 4, and 5, will be
covered later in this lecture.
-u
Initial crack Cohesive interface
Note: Only the Keywords interface is illustrated in the example;
the Abaqus/CAE interface is illustrated in the workshop exercise.
Modeling Fracture and Failure with Abaqus
 L6.12

Surface-based Cohesive Behavior

1
Define contact pairs and initially bonded crack surfaces
The initially bonded portion of the slave surface (i.e., node set bond)
is identified with the *INITIAL CONDITIONS, TYPE=CONTACT
option.

*NSET, NSET=bond, GENERATE

1, 121, 1
*SURFACE, NAME=TopSurf
_TopBeam_S1, S1
bond *SURFACE, NAME=BotSurf
_BotBeam_S1, S1
*CONTACT PAIR, INTER=cohesive
TopSurf, BotSurf
TopSurf
BotSurf *INITIAL CONDITIONS, TYPE=CONTACT
TopSurf, BotSurf, bond

Note: Frictionless contact is assumed. slave surface master surface a list of slave nodes
that are initially bonded

Modeling Fracture and Failure with Abaqus

 L6.13

Surface-based Cohesive Behavior

2 Define traction-separation behavior

t
In this model, the cohesive behavior is only
enforced for the node set bond.
Kn (Ks , Kt)
Use the ELIGIBILITY=SPECIFIED CONTACTS 1
parameter to enforce this behavior.

Recall the default elastic properties are based
on underlying element stiffness. Here we Kn, Ks, and Kt: normal and
specify the properties. tangential stiffness components

...
bond
*CONTACT PAIR, INTER=cohesive
TopSurf, BotSurf
*INITIAL CONDITIONS, TYPE=CONTACT
TopSurf
BotSurf TopSurf, BotSurf, bond
*SURFACE INTERACTION, NAME=cohesive
*COHESIVE BEHAVIOR,
ELIGIBILITY=SPECIFIED CONTACTS
5.7e14, 5.7e14, 5.7e14 Optional

Kn Ks Kt
Modeling Fracture and Failure with Abaqus
 L6.14

Surface-based Cohesive Behavior

t
Damage modeling for cohesive
surfaces
tnmax tsmax , ttmax
Damage of the traction-separation
response for cohesive surfaces is
defined within the same general
framework used for cohesive
nmax smax , tmax
nf sf , t f
elements. tnmax , tsmax , and ttmax :
The difference between the two peak values of the contact stress
approaches is that for cohesive nmax , smax , and tmax :
surfaces damage is specified as peak values of the contact separation
part of the contact interaction
properties. nf , sf , and t f :
separations at failure

Modeling Fracture and Failure with Abaqus

 L6.15

Surface-based Cohesive Behavior

User interface
Abaqus/CAE

Abaqus/Standard
*SURFACE INTERACTION, NAME=cohesive
*COHESIVE BEHAVIOR
*DAMAGE INITIATION
*DAMAGE EVOLUTION
*CONTACT PAIR, INTERACTION=cohesive
surface1, surface2

Abaqus/Explicit
*SURFACE INTERACTION, NAME=cohesive
*COHESIVE BEHAVIOR
*DAMAGE INITIATION
*DAMAGE EVOLUTION
*CONTACT
*CONTACT PROPERTY ASSIGNMENT
surface1, surface2, cohesive

Modeling Fracture and Failure with Abaqus

 L6.16

Surface-based Cohesive Behavior

Damage initiation criteria

Maximum stress criterion Maximum separation criterion

tn ts tt n s t
MAX max , max , max 1 MAX max , max , max 1
tn ts tt n s t
*DAMAGE INITIATION, CRITERION=MAXS *DAMAGE INITIATION, CRITERION=MAXU
tnmax , tsmax , ttmax nmax , smax , tmax

Quadratic stress criterion Quadratic separation criterion

2 2 2 2 2 2
tn ts tt n s t
max max max 1 max max max 1
tn ts tt n s t
*DAMAGE INITIATION, CRITERION=QUADS *DAMAGE INITIATION, CRITERION=QUADU
tnmax , tsmax , ttmax nmax , smax , tmax
tn: normal contact stress in the pure normal mode n: separation in the pure normal mode
ts: shear contact stress along the first shear direction s: separation in the first shear direction
tt: shear contact stress along the second shear direction t: separation in the second shear direction
Note: Recall the damage initiation criteria for the cohesive elements: if the initial constitutive thickness To = 1,
then = /To = . In this case, the separation measures for both approaches are exactly the same.

Modeling Fracture and Failure with Abaqus

 L6.17

Surface-based Cohesive Behavior

Example: Double cantilever beam

3 Define the damage initiation criterion
The quadratic stress criterion is specified for this problem.

...
*CONTACT PAIR, INTER=cohesive
TopSurf, BotSurf
bond
*INITIAL CONDITIONS, TYPE=CONTACT
TopSurf, BotSurf, bond
*SURFACE INTERACTION, NAME=cohesive
TopSurf
BotSurf *COHESIVE BEHAVIOR,
ELIGIBILITY=SPECIFIED CONTACTS
5.7e14, 5.7e14, 5.7e14
*DAMAGE INITIATION, CRITERION=QUADS
5.7e7, 5.7e7, 5.7e7

tnmax tsmax ttmax

Modeling Fracture and Failure with Abaqus

 L6.18

Surface-based Cohesive Behavior

Damage evolution
For surface-based cohesive behavior, damage evolution describes the
degradation of the cohesive stiffness.
In contrast, for cohesive elements damage evolution describes the
degradation of the material stiffness.
Damage evolution can be based on energy or separation (same as for
cohesive elements).
Specify either the total fracture energy (a property of the cohesive
interaction) or the post damage-initiation effective separation at
failure. t

May depend on mode mix

tnmax tsmax , ttmax
Mode mix may be defined
in terms of energy or traction GTC

nmax smax , tmax
nf sf , t f

Modeling Fracture and Failure with Abaqus

 L6.19

Surface-based Cohesive Behavior

Separation-based damage evolution

Damage is a function of an effective t Linear post-
separation: initiation response

tnmax tsmax , ttmax
n s2 t2
2

As with cohesive elements, the post

damage-initiation softening response can
nmax smax , tmax
nf sf , t f
be either:
Linear
Exponential
Tabular

Modeling Fracture and Failure with Abaqus

 L6.20

Surface-based Cohesive Behavior

Separation-based damage evolution (contd)

Usage:

*DAMAGE EVOLUTION, TYPE = DISPLACEMENT,

SOFTENING = { LINEAR | EXPONENTIAL | TABULAR },
MIXED MODE BEHAVIOR = TABULAR

Modeling Fracture and Failure with Abaqus

 L6.21

Surface-based Cohesive Behavior

Energy-based damage evolution

As with cohesive elements, the energy-based damage evolution criterion
can be defined as a function of mode mix using either a tabular form or
one of two analytical forms:

Power law Benzeggagh-Kenane (BK)

GI GII GIII Gshear
1 GIC GIIC - GIC GTC
GIC GIIC GIIIC T
G
where Gshear GII GIII
GT GI Gshear

Modeling Fracture and Failure with Abaqus

 L6.22

Surface-based Cohesive Behavior

Energy-based damage evolution (contd)

Usage:

*DAMAGE EVOLUTION, TYPE = ENERGY,

SOFTENING = { LINEAR | EXPONENTIAL},
MIXED MODE BEHAVIOR = { TABULAR | POWER LAW | BK },
POWER = value

Modeling Fracture and Failure with Abaqus

 L6.23

Surface-based Cohesive Behavior

Example: Double cantilever beam

4
Define damage evolution
The energy-based damage evolution based on the BK mixed mode
behavior is specified.
...
*CONTACT PAIR, INTER=cohesive
TopSurf, BotSurf
G
GIC GIIC - GIC shear GTC *INITIAL CONDITIONS, TYPE=CONTACT
GT TopSurf, BotSurf, bond
*SURFACE INTERACTION, NAME=cohesive
*COHESIVE BEHAVIOR,
bond ELIGIBILITY=SPECIFIED CONTACTS
5.7e14, 5.7e14, 5.7e14
*DAMAGE INITIATION, CRITERION=QUADS
5.7e7, 5.7e7, 5.7e7
TopSurf
BotSurf *DAMAGE EVOLUTION, TYPE=ENERGY,
MIXED MODE BEHAVIOR=BK, POWER=2.284
280.0, 280.0, 280.0

GIC GIIC GIIIC

Modeling Fracture and Failure with Abaqus
 L6.24

Surface-based Cohesive Behavior

Viscous regularization
Can be specified to facilitate solution convergence in Abaqus/Standard
for surface-based cohesive behavior when stiffness degradation occurs.
Output:
Energy associated with viscous regularization: ALLCD

*DAMAGE STABILIZATION

Modeling Fracture and Failure with Abaqus

 L6.25

Surface-based Cohesive Behavior

Example: Double cantilever beam

5
Specify a viscosity coefficient for ...
the cohesive surface behavior *CONTACT PAIR, INTER=cohesive
TopSurf, BotSurf
*INITIAL CONDITIONS, TYPE=CONTACT
TopSurf, BotSurf, bond
bond *SURFACE INTERACTION, NAME=cohesive
*COHESIVE BEHAVIOR,
ELIGIBILITY=SPECIFIED CONTACTS
TopSurf 5.7e14, 5.7e14, 5.7e14
BotSurf
*DAMAGE INITIATION, CRITERION=QUADS
5.7e7, 5.7e7, 5.7e7
*DAMAGE EVOLUTION, TYPE=ENERGY,
MIXED MODE BEHAVIOR=BK, POWER=2.284
280.0, 280.0, 280.0
*DAMAGE STABILIZATION
1.e-5

viscosity coefficient,

Modeling Fracture and Failure with Abaqus

 L6.26

Surface-based Cohesive Behavior

Example: Double cantilever beam

Summary of the input for the traction-separation response

Cohesive elements Cohesive surfaces

*COHESIVE SECTION, MATERIAL=cohesive, *SURFACE INTERACTION, NAME=cohesive
RESPONSE=TRACTION SEPARATION, *COHESIVE BEHAVIOR,
ELSET=coh_elems, CONTROLS=visco
ELIGIBILITY=SPECIFIED CONTACTS
, 0.02
*MATERIAL, NAME=cohesive 5.7e14, 5.7e14, 5.7e14
*ELASTIC, TYPE=TRACTION *DAMAGE INITIATION, CRITERION=QUADS
5.7e14, 5.7e14, 5.7e14 5.7e7, 5.7e7, 5.7e7
*DAMAGE INITIATION, CRITERION=QUADS *DAMAGE EVOLUTION, TYPE=ENERGY,
5.7e7, 5.7e7, 5.7e7 MIXED MODE BEHAVIOR=BK, POWER=2.284
*DAMAGE EVOLUTION, TYPE=ENERGY, 280.0, 280.0, 280.0
MIXED MODE BEHAVIOR=BK, POWER=2.284 *DAMAGE STABILIZATION
280.0, 280.0, 280.0 1.e-5
*SECTION CONTROLS, NAME=visco,
VISCOSITY=1.e-5

Modeling Fracture and Failure with Abaqus

 L6.27

Surface-based Cohesive Behavior

Results

u2 = 0.006
Cohesive elements

Failed cohesive elements

u2

u2 = 0.006
Cohesive surfaces

u2

Modeling Fracture and Failure with Abaqus

Element- vs. Surface-based
Cohesive Behavior
 L6.29

Element- vs. Surface-based Cohesive Behavior

Preprocessing
Cohesive elements
Gives you direct control over the cohesive element mesh density
and stiffness properties.
Constraints are enforced at the element integration
points.
Refining the cohesive elements relative to the
connected structures will likely lead to improved
constraint satisfaction and more accurate results.
Integration points on an
Cohesive surfaces 8-node cohesive element

Are easily defined using contact interactions and cohesive

interaction properties.
A pure master-slave in formulation is used.
Constraints are enforced at the slave nodes.
Refining the slave surface relative to the master surface will likely lead
to improved constraint satisfaction and more accurate results .

Modeling Fracture and Failure with Abaqus

 L6.30

Element- vs. Surface-based Cohesive Behavior

Initial configuration:
Cohesive elements
Must be bonded at the start of the analysis.
Once the interface has failed, the surfaces do not re-bond.
Cohesive surfaces
Can bond anytime contact is established
(i.e., sticky contact behavior).
Cohesive interface need not be bonded at the start of the
analysis.
You can control whether debonded surfaces will stick or not stick if
contact occurs again.
By default, they do not stick.

Modeling Fracture and Failure with Abaqus

 L6.31

Element- vs. Surface-based Cohesive Behavior

Constitutive behavior:
Cohesive elements
Allow for several constitutive behavior types:
Traction-separation constitutive model
Including multiple failure mechanisms
Continuum-based constitutive model
For adhesive layers with finite thickness
Uses conventional material models
Uniaxial stress-based constitutive model
Useful in modeling gaskets and/or single adhesive patches
Cohesive surfaces
Must use the traction-separation interface behavior.
Intended for bonded interfaces where the interface thickness is
negligibly small.
Only one failure mechanism is allowed.

Modeling Fracture and Failure with Abaqus

 L6.32

Element- vs. Surface-based Cohesive Behavior

Le
Influence on stable time increment (Abaqus/Explicit only): t
cd
Cohesive elements
Often require a small stable time increment.
Cohesive elements are generally thin and sometimes quite stiff.
Consequently, they often have a stable time increment that is
significantly less than that of the other elements in the model.
Cohesive surfaces
Cohesive surface behavior with the default cohesive stiffness
properties is formulated to minimally affect the stable time increment.
Abaqus uses default contact penalties to model the cohesive
stiffness behavior in this case.
You can specify a non-default cohesive stiffness values.
However, high stiffnesses may reduce the stable time increment.

Modeling Fracture and Failure with Abaqus

 L6.33

Element- vs. Surface-based Cohesive Behavior

Mass:
Cohesive elements
The element material definitions include mass.
Cohesive surfaces
Do not add mass to the model.
Indented for thin adhesive interfaces; thus, neglecting adhesive
mass is appropriate for most applications.
However, nonstructural mass can be added to the contacting
elements if necessary.

Modeling Fracture and Failure with Abaqus

 L6.34

Element- vs. Surface-based Cohesive Behavior

Summary:
Cohesive elements
Are recommended for more detailed adhesive connection modeling.
Additional preprocessing effort (and often increased computational
cost) is compensated for by gaining:
Direct control over the connection mesh
Additional constitutive response options
E.g., model adhesives of finite thickness
Cohesive surfaces
Provides a quick and easy way to model adhesive connections.
Negligible interface thicknesses only
Surfaces can bond anytime contact is established
(sticky contact)
Model contact adhesives, Velcro, tape, and other bonding agents
that can stick after separation.

Modeling Fracture and Failure with Abaqus

Workshop 3 (Part 2)
 L6.36

Workshop 3 (Part 2)

Crack growth in a three-point bend specimen using surface-based

cohesive behavior
Repeat the element-based exercise using surface-based behavior
Use default traction-separation elastic properties
Compare with element-based results

Modeling Fracture and Failure with Abaqus