Abstract
Mode II testing is performed on a polyurethane foam as a particular case of mixed-mode four-point testing. Crack initiation and propagation in Mode II depends on the geometrical parameters of the testing configuration. Numerical XFEM simulations are done in order to clarify the situations in which the crack doesn’t propagate and failure is produced in the region of supports. A combined experimental-XFEM analysis is recommended to fully understand the particularities of the behaviour of cellular materials.
Keywords: polyurethane foam; asymmetric four-point bending; Mode II; XFEM; crack propagation