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Abstract: This paper investigates the deformation and failure mechanisms of wood at the ultrastructural scale. At this level, wood is composed of a periodic alternation of amorphous and crystalline cellulose fractions, embedded in a soft hemicellulose-lignin matrix. The mechanical response of wood is calculated under tensile loading conditions by means of the computational homogenisation of a representative volume element (RVE) of material. Three potential mechanisms of failure are suggested: axial straining of the crystalline fraction of cellulose, accumulation of plastic strain in the amorphous portion of cellulose and tensile rupture in the hemicellulose-lignin matrix due to cellulose fibres separation. In order to validate the present multi-scale framework, we compare our numerical predictions for the reorientation of cellulose fibres with experimental data, finding a good agreement for a wide range of strains. Furthermore, we assess successfully our numerical predictions for ultimate strains at the instant of failure when compared to experimental values. Numerical simulations show that our model is able to provide new clues into the understanding of how trees and plants optimise their microstructure in order to develop larger strains without apparent damage. A remarkable prediction by our model suggests that the extensibility of the material is maximised for initial microfibril angles (MFA) between 50° and 55°, a range of values found typically in branches of trees, in which the extensibility is an essential requirement. These findings are likely to shed more light into the dissipative mechanisms of wood and natural materials, which are still not well-understood at present. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper, we established a strain-gradient damage model based on microcrack analysis for brittle materials. In order to construct a damage-evolution law including the strain-gradient effect, we proposed a resistance curve for microcrack growth before damage localization. By introducing this resistance curve into the strain-gradient constitutive law established in the first part of this work (), we obtained an energy potential that is capable to describe the evolution of damage during the loading. This damage model was furthermore implemented into a finite element code. By using this numerical tool, we carried out detailed numerical simulations on different specimens in order to assess the fracture process in brittle materials. The numerical results were compared with previous experimental results. From these studies, we can conclude that the strain gradient plays an important role in predicting fractures due to singular or non-singular stress concentrations and in assessing the size effect observed in experimental studies. Moreover, the self-regularization characteristic of the present damage model makes the numerical simulations insensitive to finite-element meshing. We believe that it can be utilized in fracture predictions for brittle or quasi-brittle materials in engineering applications. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper deals with a finite element algorithm for the creep crack growth process in a viscoelastic medium. The main developments focus on the coupling between the M-integral and an incremental formulation for the viscoelastic behavior. In this context, mixed mode configurations are simulated for orthotropic symmetries. An algorithm uncoupling viscoelastic incremental formulation and the fracture procedure is resolved with finite element software. The global approach is validated in terms of the evolution of energy release rate versus time and the advance of cracks. Numerical simulations are based on a Constant Tension Shear model. The insensitivity of the M-integral to the integration domain is shown from creep crack growth simulations for mixed mode configurations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]