Cohesive model for fracture simulation of uranium dioxide at high temperature and strain rate

A cohesive zone model is employed to accurately simulate the initiation and propagation of cracks within uranium dioxide fuel under high-temperature and high-strain-rate conditions. This model incorporates two energy-based failure criteria to distinguish between normal and tangential modes of crack propagation. Furthermore, it explicitly takes into account the dependencies on temperature, strain rate, and porosity. The effectiveness of this cohesive zone model approach is validated through three-dimensional simulations of a uniaxial compression test conducted under high-temperature and high-strain-rate conditions. Notably, the critical cohesive energy value identified for the normal mode of crack propagation is found to be lower than that for the tangential mode of crack propagation.