Splits (decompositions) of the mechanical energy potential for regularised fracture models, like phase-field fracture and
eigenfracture, are frequently motivated by the statement that crack nucleation and crack growth have to be prevented at compression
loads. The intention of the talk is to show that this energy decomposition is an essential part of such fracture models, and to
investigate the underlying mathematical statement and its physical interpretation. Finally, a general framework for the derivation of
physically based energy splits is presented, which is not limited to certain bulk material models. Illustrative examples with crack
face friction, inelasticity and multi-physics are used to present the versatility of the approach.