Element-wise fracture algorithm based on rotation of edges

Abstract

Please cite this article as: Areias, P., Rabczuk, T., Dias-da-Costa, D., Element-wise fracture algorithm based on rotation of edges, Engineering Fracture Mechanics (2013), doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.engfracmech. 2013.06.006 This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.Element-wise fracture algorithm based on rotation of edges AbstractWe propose an alternative, simpler algorithm for FEM-based computational fracture in brittle, quasibrittle and ductile materials based on edge rotations. Rotation axes are the crack front edges (respectively nodes in surface discretizations) and each rotated edge affects the position of only one or two nodes. Modified positions of the entities minimize the difference between the predicted crack path (which depends on the specific propagation theory in use) and the edge or face orientation. The construction of all many-to-many relations between geometrical entities in a finite element code motivates operations on existing entities retaining most of the relations, in contrast with remeshing (even tip remeshing) and enrichment which alter the structure of the relations and introduce additional entities to the relation graph (in the case of XFEM, enriched elements which can be significantly different than classical FEM elements and still pose challenges for ductile fracture or large amplitude sliding). In this sense, the proposed solution has algorithmic and generality advantages. The propagation algorithm is simpler than the aforementioned alternatives and the approach is independent of the underlying element used for discretization. For history-dependent materials, there are still some transfer of relevant quantities between meshes. However, diffusion of results is more limited than with tip or full remeshing. To illustrate the advantages of our approach, two prototype models are used: tip energy dissipation (LEFM) and cohesive-zone approaches. The Sutton crack path criterion is employed. Traditional fracture benchmarks and newly proposed verification tests are solved. These were found to be very good in terms of crack path and load/deflection accuracy. Nomenclature

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