An improved finite element method for cracks with multiple branches

• Main Authors: Zhang, H. H., Li, L. X., An, Xinmei, Ma, Guowei
• Other Authors: School of Civil and Environmental Engineering
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2013
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/103136; http://hdl.handle.net/10220/16946
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

The conventional finite element method is improved to tackle complex cracks with multiple branches. The parasitic nodes are introduced to the nodes whose nodal support is completely cut by the crack surfaces, while the nodes whose supports contain crack tips inside are accordingly enriched by the crack tip functions. The principle to set parasitic nodes is regulated, and the relation to the previous methods is dissected. The formulation of the present method is derived, and numerical experiments are conducted. The results show that the present method can treat complex cracks conveniently and efficiently, and the unknowns have a clear physical interpretation.