fracturetidelity

Fracturetidelity is a neologism used in materials science and computational fracture mechanics to describe the fidelity with which fracture behavior is represented, whether in experiments or in models, under specified loading and environmental conditions. It encompasses how accurately initiation, propagation, arrest, and branching of cracks as well as their interactions with microstructural features are captured.

The term blends fracture concepts with fidelity, and is often used to discuss the degree to which a given approach reproduces the underlying mechanics of cracking across length and time scales. In practice, fracturetidelity considers both spatial fidelity (the accuracy of crack paths and their interaction with grains, inclusions, and interfaces) and temporal fidelity (the timing of crack events and the evolution of crack growth rates), as well as energy aspects such as the match to observed energy dissipation.

Assessing fracturetidelity typically involves quantitative metrics that compare experimental observations with model predictions. Examples include path similarity measures, Hausdorff distance between observed and predicted crack paths, correlations of load-displacement responses, and comparisons of energy release rates or fracture energies. In experiments, techniques such as digital image correlation, X-ray or tomography imaging, and high-speed photography support these comparisons; in simulations, phase-field, cohesive-zone, or peridynamics approaches are evaluated against matched experiments.

Fracturetidelity remains a niche, informal term and is not universally standardized. When used, it is important to specify the exact operational definitions and comparison criteria, to avoid conflating it with established concepts like fracture toughness, model validation, or multiscale fidelity. See also fracture mechanics, phase-field fracture, and computational fracture modeling.