  The interface plays a critical role in the mechanical properties of
composites. In the present work, a novel phase-field based cohesive zone model
(CZM) is proposed for the cracking simulation. The competition and interaction
between the bulk and interfacial cracking are taken into consideration directly
in both displacement- and phase-field. A modified family of degradation
functions is utilized to describe traction-separation law in the CZM. Finite
element implementation of the present CZM was carried out with a completely
staggered algorithm. Several numerical examples, including a single bar tension
test, a double cantilever beam test, a three-point bending test, and a single
fiber-reinforced composite test, are carried out to validate the present model
by comparison with existing numerical and experimental results.The present
model shows its advantage on modeling interaction between bulk and interfacial
cracking. 1. Introduction
