Master thesis: Eva Richter
We cordially congratulate Eva Richter on successfully defending her master’s thesis titled “A ‘Capriccio light’ approach to study the capabilities of multiscale fracture simulations of thermoplastics”. In her thesis, Eva used pure molecular dynamics simulations of a generic thermoplastic polymer to investigate the effects of key parameters such as notch length and system size on void formation and crack growth. After initial tests of center-notched samples under periodic boundary conditions, which revealed key requirements for the simulations to produce reasonable results, Eva advanced her findings in a setup that mimics fracture simulations of edge-notched samples. To do this, she employed a Capriccio-like approach purely based on molecular dynamics, referred to as “Capriccio light”. Thus, the influence of the atomistic-to-continuum coupling can be excluded, which is an advantage for such initial feasibility tests. Eva’s studies have provided valuable insights into the simulation of fracture in thermoplastics, which form a comprehensive basis for upcoming Capriccio simulations. We wish Eva all the best for her upcoming doctoral studies in project P6 of the research training group GRK 2423 FRASCAL (https://www.frascal.research.fau.eu/)!