Departmental seminar: Peridynamics for Solids and Granular Media: From Fracture to Computational Frameworks

This talk will present recent work on the fracture of solids and granular media using the peridynamics theory of fracture. Unlike classical continuum mechanics, which relies on spatial derivatives and encounters difficulties in the presence of discontinuities, peridynamics is formulated on the principle that each material point interacts nonlocally with its neighbors. The internal force at a point arises as the sum of pairwise interactions with surrounding points, providing a natural and mathematically consistent way to model crack initiation and growth. I will discuss extensions of this framework to granular media through a hybrid peridynamics–discrete element approach (PeriDEM), which captures both inter-particle contact and intra-particle fracture. The talk will also touch upon ongoing efforts in computational efficiency and, as a secondary theme, the use of neural operators in mechanics, with an emphasis on strategies for error control.

Sep 4, 2025 12:00 AM

Mechanical Engineering, University of Wyoming

Laramie, WY, USA