Avalanche Statistics of Interface Crack Propagation in Fiber Bundle Model: Characterization of Cohesive Crack

This paper considers a model of crack propagation taking place at the interface between a rigid support and an elastic plate. The interface is modeled using a fiber bundle model (i.e., describing a damage behavior using a discrete set of elastic brittle elements having a random strength). This paper studies the fluctuations of the force required to propagate the crack along the interface. The statistics of avalanches, defined as a series of elements that are broken simultaneously under a load that decreases with the crack advance, are studied numerically and analytically. Local fiber breakage kinetics is related to a correlation length, which sets the size of a fracture process zone.