An implicit thermo-mechanical coupling model for heat conduction and thermal cracking in brittle materials

In this paper, an implicit thermo-mechanical coupling model is developed to simulate heat conduction and thermal cracking in brittle materials. In the thermal analysis, an implicit particle heat conduction model (PHCM) is proposed. A linear algebraic system of heat conduction equations is derived based on the temperatures of the particle system and the heat flux among adjacent particles. An analytical expression is introduced for the involved correction coefficient, with which the macroscopic thermal conductivity coefficient can be directly adopted without calibration. Furthermore, a thermal conductivity reduction coefficient is introduced to account for the thermal resistance of the cracks. In the mechanical analysis, particle discontinuous deformation analysis (PDDA), which is an implicit variant of the discrete element method, is employed. The PHCM is first verified against analytical and finite element solutions for transient heat conduction problems. The results show that the PHCM is an effective and accurate heat conduction model that readily reflects the thermal resistance of cracks. Then, the thermo-mechanical coupling model is verified by the expansion of heated specimens under different conditions. Finally, the successful application of the coupling model in the simulation of thermal shock tests demonstrates its effectiveness for thermal cracking problems.