Ansys offers functionalities to model crack propagation through the Ansys Mechanical software and the SMART Crack Growth feature. Here's a general breakdown of the process:
1. Pre-Processing:
- Geometry and Mesh: Define the geometry of your model in Ansys Workbench. Ansys Mechanical's Unstructured Mesh Method (UMM) can automatically generate a mesh suitable for crack simulations, reducing preprocessing time [Ansys white paper on SMART Crack Growth & Fracture Modeling].
- Material Properties: Assign material properties to your model, including the fracture toughness which plays a critical role in crack growth behavior.