{
  "abstract": "This paper formulates a kinematically and variationally consistent phase-field theory for cohesive fracture at finite deformation. The theory introduces an independent compliance-damage field, which accommodates both diffuse distributions and singular concentrations. The phase-field is thereby freed from the dual burden of describing crack geometry and material degradation. A rank-one additive split of the deformation gradient makes separation explicit through independent crack-strain and reference-normal fields. All fields are governed by a single principle of minimum potential energy, which consistently couples nonlinear bulk deformation, crack separation, and crack-plane rotation. One-dimensional energy comparisons show that minimization favors Dirac-type concentration of compliance damage and crack strain. Strong displacement discontinuities thus emerge naturally at a finite phase-field length without being prescribed a priori, while the phase-field remains continuous. The concentrated energy recovers the exact bulk--interface structure of a sharp-crack cohesive zone model. General objective hyperelastic bulk potentials and admissible mixed-mode cohesive laws can therefore be prescribed independently, with the nominal traction--separation law unaffected by the bulk law or phase-field length. Diffuse damage can coexist with concentrated cracks, retaining deformation modes for bulk-energy relaxation during nucleation. Two- and three-dimensional examples validate the theory across large stretches, finite rotations, and complex crack paths. Notably, the computed near-tip Cauchy stress closely matches the analytical 1/r crack-tip asymptotic solution of Long et al. (2011) outside the cohesive zone.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": "2610.41662",
  "author_total": 1,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Ye Feng"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/73p311de4hxye.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.48550/arxiv.2610.41662",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "73p311de4hxye",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.41662",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-ND-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-ND 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": "CC0-1.0",
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "arxiv",
      "cond-mat.mtrl-sci"
    ],
    [
      "arxiv",
      "cond-mat.soft"
    ],
    [
      "arxiv",
      "physics.comp-ph"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": null,
  "pdf_url": "https://arxiv.org/pdf/2610.41662",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-30",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/73p311de4hxye.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-02T12:21:15Z",
      "native_id": "2610.41662",
      "source": "arxiv",
      "url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.41662"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "physics",
      "origin": "arxiv:physics.comp-ph",
      "subfield": "computational"
    },
    {
      "field": "physics",
      "origin": "arxiv:cond-mat.mtrl-sci",
      "subfield": "condensed-matter"
    }
  ],
  "title": "A variational phase-field theory of cohesive fracture at finite deformation",
  "title_text": "A variational phase-field theory of cohesive fracture at finite deformation",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-04T15:20:51Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/73p311de4hxye",
  "venue": "arXiv",
  "versions": []
}