Coupled meshfree and fractal finite element method for mixed mode two‐dimensional crack problems

This paper presents a coupling technique for integrating the element‐free Galerkin method (EFGM) with the fractal finite element method (FFEM) for analyzing homogeneous, isotropic, and two‐dimensional linear‐elastic cracked structures subjected to mixed‐mode (modes I and II) loading conditions. FFEM is adopted for discretization of the domain close to the crack tip and EFGM is adopted in the rest of the domain. In the transition region interface elements are employed. The shape functions within interface elements which comprise both the EFG and the finite element (FE) shape functions, satisfies the consistency condition thus ensuring convergence of the proposed coupled EFGM–FFEM. The proposed method combines the best features of EFGM and FFEM, in the sense that no special enriched basis functions or no structured mesh with special FEs are necessary and no post‐processing (employing any path independent integrals) is needed to determine fracture parameters, such as stress‐intensity factors (SIFs) and T‐stress. The numerical results show that SIFs and T‐stress obtained using the proposed method are in excellent agreement with the reference solutions for the structural and crack geometries considered in the present study. Also, a parametric study is carried out to examine the effects of the integration order, the similarity ratio, the number of transformation terms, and the crack length to width ratio on the quality of the numerical solutions. A numerical example on mixed‐mode condition is presented to simulate crack propagation. As in the proposed coupled EFGM–FFEM at each increment during the crack propagation, the FFEM mesh (around the crack tip) is shifted as it is to the new updated position of the crack tip (such that FFEM mesh center coincides with the crack tip) and few meshless nodes are sprinkled in the location where the FFEM mesh was lying previously, crack‐propagation analysis can be dramatically simplified. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Computation of the stress intensity factors of sharp notched plates by the fractal‐like finite element method

The fractal‐like finite element method (FFEM) is an accurate and efficient method to compute the stress intensity factors (SIFs) of different crack configurations. In the FFEM, the cracked/notched body is divided into singular and regular regions; both regions are modelled using conventional finite elements. A self‐similar fractal mesh of an ‘infinite’ number of conventional finite elements is used to model the singular region. The corresponding large number of local variables in the singular region around the crack tip is transformed to a small set of global co‐ordinates after performing a global transformation by using global interpolation functions. In this paper, we extend this method to analyse the singularity problems of sharp notched plates. The exact stress and displacement fields of a plate with a notch of general angle are derived for plane‐stress/strain conditions. These exact analytical solutions which are eigenfunction expansion series are used to perform the global transformation and to determine the SIFs. The use of the global interpolation functions reduces the computational cost significantly and neither post‐processing technique to extract SIFs nor special singular elements to model the singular region are needed. The numerical examples demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of the FFEM for sharp notched problems. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Fracture mechanics analysis using the wavelet Galerkin method and extended finite element method

This paper presents fracture mechanics analysis using the wavelet Galerkin method and extended finite element method. The wavelet Galerkin method is a new methodology to solve partial differential equations where scaling/wavelet functions are used as basis functions. In solid/structural analyses, the analysis domain is divided into equally spaced structured cells and scaling functions are periodically placed throughout the domain. To improve accuracy, wavelet functions are superposed on the scaling functions within a region having a high stress concentration, such as near a hole or notch. Thus, the method can be considered a refinement technique in fixed‐grid approaches. However, because the basis functions are assumed to be continuous in applications of the wavelet Galerkin method, there are difficulties in treating displacement discontinuities across the crack surface. In the present research, we introduce enrichment functions in the wavelet Galerkin formulation to take into account the discontinuous displacements and high stress concentration around the crack tip by applying the concept of the extended finite element method. This paper presents the mathematical formulation and numerical implementation of the proposed technique. As numerical examples, stress intensity factor evaluations and crack propagation analyses for two‐dimensional cracks are presented. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A shape‐free 8‐node plane element unsymmetric analytical trial function method

The unsymmetric FEM is one of the effective techniques for developing finite element models immune to various mesh distortions. However, because of the inherent limitation of the metric shape functions, the resulting element models exhibit rotational frame dependence and interpolation failure under certain conditions. In this paper, by introducing the analytical trial function method used in the hybrid stress‐function element method, an effort was made to naturally eliminate these defects and improve accuracy. The key point of the new strategy is that the monomial terms (the trial functions) in the assumed metric displacement fields are replaced by the fundamental analytical solutions of plane problems. Furthermore, some rational conditions are imposed on the trial functions so that the assumed displacement fields possess fourth‐order completeness in Cartesian coordinates. The resulting element model, denoted by US‐ATFQ8, can still work well when interpolation failure modes for original unsymmetric element occur, and provide the invariance for the coordinate rotation. Numerical results show that the exact solutions for constant strain/stress, pure bending and linear bending problems can be obtained by the new element US‐ATFQ8 using arbitrary severely distorted meshes, and produce more accurate results for other more complicated problems. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A spline wavelet finite‐element method in structural mechanics

The wavelet‐based methods are powerful to analyse the field problems with changes in gradients and singularities due to the excellent multi‐resolution properties of wavelet functions. Wavelet‐based finite elements are often constructed in the wavelet space where field displacements are expressed as a product of wavelet functions and wavelet coefficients. When a complex structural problem is analysed, the interface between different elements and boundary conditions cannot be easily treated as in the case of conventional finite‐element methods (FEMs). A new wavelet‐based FEM in structural mechanics is proposed in the paper by using the spline wavelets, in which the formulation is developed in a similar way of conventional displacement‐based FEM. The spline wavelet functions are used as the element displacement interpolation functions and the shape functions are expressed by wavelets. The detailed formulations of typical spline wavelet elements such as plane beam element, in‐plane triangular element, in‐plane rectangular element, tetrahedral solid element, and hexahedral solid element are derived. The numerical examples have illustrated that the proposed spline wavelet finite‐element formulation achieves a high numerical accuracy and fast convergence rate. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

On elimination of shear locking in the element‐free Galerkin method

In this study, a method for completely eliminating the presence of transverse shear locking in the application of the element‐free Galerkin method (EFGM) to shear‐deformable beams and plates is presented. The matching approximation fields concept of Donning and Liu has shown that shear locking effects may be prevented if the approximate rotation fields are constructed with the innate ability to match the approximate slope (first derivative of displacement) fields and is adopted. Implementation of the matching fields concept requires the computation of the second derivative of the shape functions. Thus, the shape functions for displacement fields, and therefore the moving least‐squares (MLS) weight function, must be at least C¹ continuous. Additionally, the MLS weight functions must be chosen such that successive derivatives of the MLS shape function have the ability to exactly reproduce the functions from which they were derived. To satisfy these requirements, the quartic spline weight function possessing C² continuity is used in this study. To our knowledge, this work is the first attempt to address the root cause of shear locking phenomenon within the framework of the element‐free Galerkin method. Several numerical examples confirm that bending analyses of thick and thin beams and plates, based on the matching approximation fields concept, do not exhibit shear locking and provide a high degree of accuracy for both displacement and stress fields. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Determination of high‐order fields for multianisotropic material antiplane V‐notches and inclusions by the asymptotic expansion technique and an overdeterministic method

In this paper, the singular behavior for anisotropic multimaterial V‐notched plates is investigated under antiplane shear loading condition. Firstly, the elastic governing equations are transformed into eigen ordinary differential equations through introducing the asymptotic expansions of displacements near the notch tip. The stress singularity exponents, including the higher‐order terms, and the corresponding eigen angular functions are then obtained by solving the established equations by using the interpolating matrix method. Thus, using the combination of the results from finite element analyses and the derived asymptotic expansion, an overdeterministic method is employed to calculate the amplitudes of the coefficients in the asymptotic expansions. Finally, the stress and displacement fields in the vicinity of the notch tip, consisting of both singular terms and higher‐order terms, are determined. The effects of material properties and geometry characteristic on the singular behaviour of the notch tip are discussed in detail.     

Higher‐order hybrid‐mixed axisymmetric thick shell element for vibration analysis

In this study, we present free vibration analysis of shells of revolution using the hybrid‐mixed finite element. The present hybrid‐mixed element, which is based on the modified Hellinger–Reissner variational principle, employs consistent stress parameters corresponding to cubic displacement polynomials with additional nodeless degrees to resolve the numerical difficulties due to the spurious constraints. The stress parameters are eliminated and the nodeless degrees are condensed out by the Guyan reduction. Several numerical examples show that the present element with cubic displacement interpolation functions and consistent quadratic stress functions is highly accurate for the free vibration analysis of shells of revolution, especially for higher vibration modes. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A superposition approach to the stress fields for various blunt V‐notches

This paper deals with the problems of blunt V‐notch with various notch shapes. The purpose is to develop a new method capable of obtaining more accurate solutions for the stress fields around a blunt V‐notch tip under opening and sliding modes. The key method is to use the principle of superposition for linear elastic materials. On the basis of the superposition method and the conventional stress fields for a sharp V‐notch, the stress fields useful for any shapes of blunt V‐notch is proposed. The notch stress intensity factors are estimated by the numerical analysis with finite element analysis, and then the effectiveness and validation of the proposed superposition approach are discussed by comparison with the results from the literature.     

A quasi‐static crack growth simulation based on the singular ES‐FEM

In the edge‐based smoothed finite element method (ES‐FEM), one needs only the assumed displacement values (not the derivatives) on the boundary of the edge‐based smoothing domains to compute the stiffness matrix of the system. Adopting this important feature, a five‐node crack‐tip element is employed in this paper to produce a proper stress singularity near the crack tip based on a basic mesh of linear triangular elements that can be generated automatically for problems with complicated geometries. The singular ES‐FEM is then formulated and used to simulate the crack propagation in various settings, using a largely coarse mesh with a few layers of fine mesh near the crack tip. The results demonstrate that the singular ES‐FEM is much more accurate than X‐FEM and the existing FEM. Moreover, the excellent agreement between numerical results and the reference observations shows that the singular ES‐FEM offers an efficient and high‐quality solution for crack propagation problems. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Parallel computing of high‐speed compressible flows using a node‐based finite‐element method

An efficient parallel computing method for high‐speed compressible flows is presented. The numerical analysis of flows with shocks requires very fine computational grids and grid generation requires a great deal of time. In the proposed method, all computational procedures, from the mesh generation to the solution of a system of equations, can be performed seamlessly in parallel in terms of nodes. Local finite‐element mesh is generated robustly around each node, even for severe boundary shapes such as cracks. The algorithm and the data structure of finite‐element calculation are based on nodes, and parallel computing is realized by dividing a system of equations by the row of the global coefficient matrix. The inter‐processor communication is minimized by renumbering the nodal identification number using ParMETIS. The numerical scheme for high‐speed compressible flows is based on the two‐step Taylor–Galerkin method. The proposed method is implemented on distributed memory systems, such as an Alpha PC cluster, and a parallel supercomputer, Hitachi SR8000. The performance of the method is illustrated by the computation of supersonic flows over a forward facing step. The numerical examples show that crisp shocks are effectively computed on multiprocessors at high efficiency. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Polyhedral elements by means of node/edge‐based smoothed finite element method

The node‐based or edge‐based smoothed finite element method is extended to develop polyhedral elements that are allowed to have an arbitrary number of nodes or faces, and so retain a good geometric adaptability. The strain smoothing technique and implicit shape functions based on the linear point interpolation make the element formulation simple and straightforward. The resulting polyhedral elements are free from the excessive zero‐energy modes and yield a robust solution very much insensitive to mesh distortion. Several numerical examples within the framework of linear elasticity demonstrate the accuracy and convergence behavior. The smoothed finite element method‐based polyhedral elements in general yield solutions of better accuracy and faster convergence rate than those of the conventional finite element methods. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A face‐centred finite volume method for second‐order elliptic problems

This work proposes a novel finite volume paradigm, ie, the face‐centred finite volume (FCFV) method. Contrary to the popular vertex and cell‐centred finite volume methods, the novel FCFV defines the solution on the mesh faces (edges in two dimensions) to construct locally conservative numerical schemes. The idea of the FCFV method stems from a hybridisable discontinuous Galerkin formulation with constant degree of approximation, and thus inheriting the convergence properties of the classical hybridisable discontinuous Galerkin. The resulting FCFV features a global problem in terms of a piecewise constant function defined on the faces of the mesh. The solution and its gradient in each element are then recovered by solving a set of independent element‐by‐element problems. The mathematical formulation of FCFV for Poisson and Stokes equation is derived, and numerical evidence of optimal convergence in two dimensions and three dimensions is provided. Numerical examples are presented to illustrate the accuracy, efficiency, and robustness of the proposed methodology. The results show that, contrary to other finite volume methods, the accuracy of the FCFV method is not sensitive to mesh distortion and stretching. In addition, the FCFV method shows its better performance, accuracy, and robustness using simplicial elements, facilitating its application to problems involving complex geometries in three dimensions.     

An enriched meshless method for non‐linear fracture mechanics

This paper presents an enriched meshless method for fracture analysis of cracks in homogeneous, isotropic, non‐linear‐elastic, two‐dimensional solids, subject to mode‐I loading conditions. The method involves an element‐free Galerkin formulation and two new enriched basis functions (Types I and II) to capture the Hutchinson–Rice–Rosengren singularity field in non‐linear fracture mechanics. The Type I enriched basis function can be viewed as a generalized enriched basis function, which degenerates to the linear‐elastic basis function when the material hardening exponent is unity. The Type II enriched basis function entails further improvements of the Type I basis function by adding trigonometric functions. Four numerical examples are presented to illustrate the proposed method. The boundary layer analysis indicates that the crack‐tip field predicted by using the proposed basis functions matches with the theoretical solution very well in the whole region considered, whether for the near‐tip asymptotic field or for the far‐tip elastic field. Numerical analyses of standard fracture specimens by the proposed meshless method also yield accurate estimates of the J‐integral for the applied load intensities and material properties considered. Also, the crack‐mouth opening displacement evaluated by the proposed meshless method is in good agreement with finite element results. Furthermore, the meshless results show excellent agreement with the experimental measurements, indicating that the new basis functions are also capable of capturing elastic–plastic deformations at a stress concentration effectively. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Hybrid displacement function element method: a simple hybrid‐Trefftz stress element method for analysis of Mindlin–Reissner plate

In order to develop robust finite element models for analysis of thin and moderately thick plates, a simple hybrid displacement function element method is presented. First, the variational functional of complementary energy for Mindlin–Reissner plates is modified to be expressed by a displacement function F, which can be used to derive displacement components satisfying all governing equations. Second, the assumed element resultant force fields, which can satisfy all related governing equations, are derived from the fundamental analytical solutions of F. Third, the displacements and shear strains along each element boundary are determined by the locking‐free formulae based on the Timoshenko's beam theory. Finally, by applying the principle of minimum complementary energy, the element stiffness matrix related to the conventional nodal displacement DOFs is obtained. Because the trial functions of the domain stress approximations a priori satisfy governing equations, this method is consistent with the hybrid‐Trefftz stress element method. As an example, a 4‐node, 12‐DOF quadrilateral plate bending element, HDF‐P4‐11 β, is formulated. Numerical benchmark examples have proved that the new model possesses excellent precision. It is also a shape‐free element that performs very well even when a severely distorted mesh containing concave quadrilateral and degenerated triangular elements is employed. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Rotation‐free triangular shell element using node‐based smoothed finite element method

In this paper, a triangular thin flat shell element without rotation degrees of freedom is proposed. In the Kirchhoff hypothesis, the first derivative of the displacement must be continuous because there are second‐order differential terms of the displacement in the weak form of the governing equations. The displacement is expressed as a linear function and the nodal rotation is defined using node‐based smoothed finite element method. The rotation field is approximated using the nodal rotation and linear shape functions. This rotation field is linear in an element and continuous between elements. The curvature is defined by differentiating the rotation field, and the stiffness is calculated from the curvature. A hybrid stress triangular membrane element was used to construct the shell element. The penalty technique was used to apply the rotation boundary conditions. The proposed element was verified through several numerical examples.     

hp‐Generalized FEM and crack surface representation for non‐planar 3‐D cracks

A high‐order generalized finite element method (GFEM) for non‐planar three‐dimensional crack surfaces is presented. Discontinuous p‐hierarchical enrichment functions are applied to strongly graded tetrahedral meshes automatically created around crack fronts. The GFEM is able to model a crack arbitrarily located within a finite element (FE) mesh and thus the proposed method allows fully automated fracture analysis using an existing FE discretization without cracks. We also propose a crack surface representation that is independent of the underlying GFEM discretization and controlled only by the physics of the problem. The representation preserves continuity of the crack surface while being able to represent non‐planar, non‐smooth, crack surfaces inside of elements of any size. The proposed representation also provides support for the implementation of accurate, robust, and computationally efficient numerical integration of the weak form over elements cut by the crack surface. Numerical simulations using the proposed GFEM show high convergence rates of extracted stress intensity factors along non‐planar curved crack fronts and the robustness of the method. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A 3‐node C0 triangular element for the modified couple stress theory based on the smoothed finite element method

In this paper, a 3‐node C⁰ triangular element for the modified couple stress theory is proposed. Unlike the classical continuum theory, the second‐order derivative of displacement is included in the weak form of the equilibrium equations. Thus, the first‐order derivative of displacement, such as the rotation, should be approximated by a continuous function. In the proposed element, the derivative of the displacement is defined at a node using the node‐based smoothed finite element method. The derivative fields, continuous between elements and linear in an element, are approximated with the shape functions in element. Both the displacement field and the derivative field of displacement are expressed in terms of the displacement degree of freedom only. The element stiffness matrix is calculated using the newly defined derivative field. The performance of the proposed element is evaluated through various numerical examples.     

Development of a 4‐node hybrid stress tetrahedral element using a node‐based smoothed finite element method

In this paper, a new 4‐node hybrid stress element is proposed using a node‐based smoothing technique of tetrahedral mesh. The conditions for hybrid stress field required are summarized, and the field should be continuous for better performance of a constant‐strain tetrahedral element. Nodal stress is approximated by the node‐based smoothing technique, and the stress field is interpolated with standard shape functions. This stress field is linear within each element and continuous across elements. The stress field is expressed by nodal displacements and no additional variables. The element stiffness matrix is calculated using the Hellinger‐Reissner functional, which guarantees the strain field from displacement field to be equal to that from the stress field in a weak sense. The performance of the proposed element is verified by through several numerical examples.     

Locking and hourglass phenomena in an element‐free Galerkin context: the B‐bar method with stabilization and an enhanced strain method

The meshless methods, namely the element‐free Galerkin method (EFGM), when they first appeared claimed that volumetric locking and hourglass were avoided. This was not the case and both phenomena occur in the EFGM. In the context of the finite element method (FEM) these phenomena were widely studied. In this work, forms of avoiding the locking phenomenon will be presented; a formulation based on the enhanced strain method will be introduced in the EFGM and the B‐bar method will be implemented under the scope of the EFGM. Secondly, to render this method more robust, a stabilization technique will be implemented avoiding hourglass. Several examples are solved to probe the efficiency of these techniques. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.