A three-dimensional large deformation meshfree method for arbitrary evolving cracks

  • T. Rabczuk*
  • , T. Belytschko
  • *Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    Abstract

    A new approach for modelling discrete cracks in meshfree particle methods in three dimensions is described. The cracks can be arbitrarily oriented, but their growth is represented discretely by activation of crack surfaces at individual particles, so no representation of the crack's topology is needed. The crack is modelled by a local enrichment of the test and trial functions with a sign function (a variant of the Heaviside step function), so that the discontinuities are along the direction of the crack. The discontinuity consists of cylindrical planes centered at the particles. The method is formulated for large deformations and arbitrary nonlinear and rate-dependent materials; cohesive laws govern the traction-crack opening relations. To reduce computational cost and since more accuracy around the crack tip is needed to obtain adequate results, h-adaptivity is incorporated in the method. The model is applied to several three-dimensional problems, some of which are compared to experimental data.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)2777-2799
    Number of pages23
    JournalComputer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering
    Volume196
    Issue number29-30
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2007 May 15

    Bibliographical note

    Funding Information:
    The support of Office of the Naval Research under Grant N00014-03-0097 and the Army Research Office under Grant DAAD19-02-1-0339 is gratefully acknowledged.

    Keywords

    • Cohesive crack model
    • Dynamic fracture
    • Meshfree methods

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Computational Mechanics
    • Mechanics of Materials
    • Mechanical Engineering
    • General Physics and Astronomy
    • Computer Science Applications

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