Continuum Damage-Healing and Super Healing Mechanics in Brittle Materials: A State-of-the-Art Review

Abstract

Over the last several years, self-healing materials have become more and more popular in terms of damage reparation. Moreover, a recent theoretical investigation of super healing materials that aims at repairing and strengthening itself was also developed. This research area is well known by the rich experimental studies compared to the numerical investigations. This paper provides a review of the literature of continuum damage-healing and super healing mechanics of brittle materials based on continuum damage and healing mechanics. This review includes various damage-healing models, methodologies, hypotheses and advances in continuum damage and healing mechanics. The anisotropic formulations of damage and healing mechanics are also highlighted. The objective of this paper is also to review the super healing theory based on continuum damage-healing mechanics and its role in material and structure strengthening. Finally, a conclusion of the reviewed damage-healing models is pointed out and future perspectives are given.