Towards a Monolithic Phase-Field Formulation for Chemo-Mechanical Fracture with Dissolution Effects
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Dissolution-assisted fracture is an important mechanism influencing the integrity of geomaterials exposed to reactive fluid injection, such as in subsurface energy and storage applications. Phase-field fracture approaches offer a versatile framework for representing the interaction between chemical degradation and mechanical damage. However, their application to strongly coupled chemo-mechanical problems remains challenging due to numerical stability and solution sensitivity. Building on existing dissolution-assisted phase-field formulations proposed in the literature, this work investigates a monolithic phase-field framework for modelling fracture processes influenced by mineral dissolution. The approach considers the coupling between mechanical deformation, fracture evolution, and chemically driven transport effects with chemical weakening represented through a reaction-based internal variable linked to dissolution processes. Following recent developments in phase-field fracture computations, the governing equations are formulated and solved using a quasi-Newton strategy. Transport processes are treated using an implicit time integration scheme, while nonlinear coupling effects associated with stress-influenced diffusion are incorporated through a consistent linearization strategy that avoids the need for fully coupled tangents, consistent with classical treatments of nonlinear parabolic problems. This formulation aims to improve numerical robustness in scenarios involving strong chemo-mechanical interactions and evolving damage localization. Preliminary results indicate improved convergence characteristics and reduced sensitivity to load or time increment size when compared to commonly used staggered solution approaches, while maintaining the flexibility of the phase-field framework. Overall, the proposed formulation provides a computational basis for studying dissolution-driven fracture in geomaterials and offers a pathway for future extensions to additional coupled processes.
