Phase field approximation of cohesive fracture models

We obtain a cohesive fracture model as a $\mathrm{\Gamma }$-limit of scalar damage models in which the elastic coefficient is computed from the damage variable $v$ through a function $f_k$ of the form $f_k(v)=min{1,\varepsilon_k^{1/2} f(v)}$,with$f$divergingfor$v$ close to the value describing undamaged material. The resulting fracture energy can be determined by solving a one-dimensional vectorial optimal profile problem. It is linear in the opening $s$ at small values of $s$ and has a finite limit as $s\to \mathrm{\infty }$. If the function $f$ is allowed to depend on the index $k$, for specific choices we recover in the limit Dugdale’s and Griffith’s fracture models, and models with surface energy density having a power-law growth at small openings.