Blog

Papers, talks, grants, and modelling notes from the Grassl Group.

Showcase Crack-band vs nonlocal damage in dynamic crack branching — 9 May 2026
Both crack-band scaling and nonlocal averaging give mesh-independent fracture energy in OOFEM. Only the nonlocal model also fixes the band width and the direction of the branching cracks under dynamic biaxial load.

Showcase How a random e0 field affects the crack in a 2D tensile lattice — 8 May 2026
A random field of the elastic-strain threshold e0 makes the crack localise earlier, at a lower peak, and along a different path. Generated with my own genran code (Gaussian, Weibull, or grafted Weibull–Gaussian).

Showcase Boundary-independent fracture in 2D direct tensile lattice models — 7 May 2026
Cracks lock onto the mesh boundary in standard direct-tensile lattice runs. Letting elements cross the boundary — a periodic mesh — removes the artefact.

Showcase Four single element tests of CDPM2 — 4 May 2026
A single tetrahedron with one Gauss point, four monotonic loadings (tension, compression, simple shear, pure shear). Anyone implementing CDPM2 can test against those as a start. Reproducible in one Docker command.

Paper Rate dependence of corrosion-induced surface cracking in concrete: Lattice modelling and experiments — 15 Apr 2026
Ismail Aldellaa, Peter Grassl, Frontiers in Materials, 2026.

Paper 3D frame element for large rotations based on the rigid-body-spring concept for analysing the failure of structures — 1 Mar 2026
Gumaa Abdelrhim, Peter Grassl, International Journal of Solids and Structures, vol. 327, 113812, 2026. DOI

Paper RAAC panels can suddenly collapse before any warning of corrosion-induced surface cracking — 15 Sep 2025
Evžen Korec, Peter Grassl, Milan Jirásek, Hong S. Wong, Emilio Martínez-Pañeda, npj Materials Degradation, vol. 9, 44, 2025. DOI