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Improvements of explicit crack surface representation and update within the generalized finite element method with application to three‐dimensional crack coalescence
Author(s) -
Garzon J.,
O'Hara P.,
Duarte C. A.,
Buttlar W. G.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
international journal for numerical methods in engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.421
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1097-0207
pISSN - 0029-5981
DOI - 10.1002/nme.4573
Subject(s) - coalescence (physics) , finite element method , robustness (evolution) , fracture mechanics , regular polygon , representation (politics) , moving least squares , computer science , surface (topology) , structural engineering , mathematics , geometry , engineering , physics , biochemistry , chemistry , astrobiology , politics , political science , law , gene
SUMMARY This paper presents improvements to three‐dimensional crack propagation simulation capabilities of the generalized finite element method. In particular, it presents new update algorithms suitable for explicit crack surface representations and simulations in which the initial crack surfaces grow significantly in size (one order of magnitude or more). These simulations pose problems in regard to robust crack surface/front representation throughout the propagation analysis. The proposed techniques are appropriate for propagation of highly non‐convex crack fronts and simulations involving significantly different crack front speeds. Furthermore, the algorithms are able to handle computational difficulties arising from the coalescence of non‐planar crack surfaces and their interactions with domain boundaries. An approach based on moving least squares approximations is developed to handle highly non‐convex crack fronts after crack surface coalescence. Several numerical examples are provided, which illustrate the robustness and capabilities of the proposed approaches and some of its potential engineering applications. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.