Cohesive zone model

The cohesive zone model (CZM) is a model in fracture mechanics in which fracture formation is regarded as a gradual phenomenon in which separation of the surfaces involved in the crack takes place across an extended crack tip, or cohesive zone, and is resisted by cohesive tractions.The origin of this model can be traced back to the early sixties by Barenblatt (1962) and Dugdale (1960) to represent nonlinear processes located at the front of a pre-existent crack. The cohesive zone model (CZM) is a model in fracture mechanics in which fracture formation is regarded as a gradual phenomenon in which separation of the surfaces involved in the crack takes place across an extended crack tip, or cohesive zone, and is resisted by cohesive tractions.The origin of this model can be traced back to the early sixties by Barenblatt (1962) and Dugdale (1960) to represent nonlinear processes located at the front of a pre-existent crack. The major advantages of the CZM over the conventional methods in fracture mechanics like those including LEFM (Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics), CTOD (Crack Tip open Displacement) are: