A new description of cracks in the XFEM

Abstract

This work outlines an approach that combines the advantages of explicit and implicit descriptions of the crack geometry in the context of the extended finite element method (XFEM). The XFEM is typically combined with an implicit description of the crack which is realized by the level-set method. This facilitates the definition of the enrichments in the XFEM. However, the update of the crack geometry during the propagation of a crack is simpler by means of explicit crack descriptions where the crack surface is meshed.