A multiscale extended finite element method for crack propagation

In this paper, we propose a multiscale strategy for crack propagation which enables one to use a refined mesh only in the crack’s vicinity where it is required. Two techniques are used in synergy: a multiscale strategy based on a domain decomposition method to account for the crack’s global and local effects efficiently, and a local enrichment technique (the X-FEM) to describe the geometry of the crack independently of the mesh. The focus of this study is the avoidance of meshing difficulties and the choice of an appropriate scale separation to make the strategy efficient. We show that the introduction of the crack’s discontinuity both on the microscale and on the macroscale is essential for the numerical scalability of the domain decomposition method to remain unaffected by the presence of a crack. Thus, the convergence rate of the iterative solver is the same throughout the crack’s propagation.     

A two-scale extended finite element method for modelling 3D crack growth with interfacial contact

3D fatigue crack growth problems are nowadays handled using X-FEM coupled with level set techniques. It is also well established that such an approach allows mesh-independent crack modelling and no remeshing during crack propagation. However, when contact and friction occur along the crack faces, a discretization of the internal variables linked to the interface law is necessary. The interface discretization is generally constructed from the finite elements cut by the crack. As a consequence, a mesh dependency between the bulk discretization and the interface discretization is introduced. However, the dimension of the possible non-linearities arising at the crack interface (like confined plasticity or unilateral contact with friction) may be several orders of magnitude finer than the crack size. A finer discretization is thus required to accurately capture these non-linearities. The aim of the present paper is to develop a method considering the 3D cracked structure and the crack interface as two independent global and local problems characterized by different length scales and different behaviors. Here, the interface is seen as an autonomous entity with its own discretization, variables and constitutive law. A formulation involving three-fields is used. The interface is linked to the global problem in a weak sense in order to avoid instabilities in the contact solution. Two iterative strategies are considered to solve the contact problem. Two-dimensional and three-dimensional numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the ability of the model to solve the contact at the crack interface with or without propagation at a given level of accuracy.     

A novel finite element method for two-point boundary value problems

A finite element method is presented for solving boundary value problems for ordinary differential equations in which the general solution of the differential equation is computed first, followed by a selection procedure for the particular solution of the boundary value problem from the general solution. In this method, the discrete representation of the differential equation is a singular matrix equation, which is solved by using generalized matrix inversion. The technique is applied to both linear and nonlinear boundary value problems and to boundary value problems requiring eigenvalue evaluation. The solution of several examples involving different types of two-point boundary value problems is presented.     

A nonconforming finite element method for a singularly perturbed boundary value problem

We analyze a new nonconforming Petrov-Galerkin finite element method for solving linear singularly perturbed two-point boundary value problems without turning points. The method is shown to be convergent, uniformly in the perturbation parameter, of orderh ^1/2 in a norm slightly stronger than the energy norm. Our proof uses a new abstract convergence theorem for Petrov-Galerkin finite element methods.     

A finite element immersed boundary method for fluid flow around moving objects

This paper presents the extension of a recently proposed immersed boundary method to the solution of the flow around moving objects. Solving the flow around objects with complex shapes may involve extensive meshing work that has to be repeated each time a change in the geometry is needed. Mesh generation and solution interpolation between successive grids may be costly and introduce errors if the geometry changes significantly during the course of the computation. These drawbacks are avoided when the solution algorithm can tackle grids that do not fit the shape of immersed objects. This work presents an extension of our recently developed finite element Immersed Boundary (IB) method to transient applications involving the movement of immersed fluid/solid interfaces. As for the fixed solid boundary case, the method produces solutions of the flow satisfying accurately boundary conditions imposed on the surface of immersed bodies. The proposed algorithm enriches the finite element discretization of interface elements with additional degrees of freedom, the latter being eliminated at element level. The boundary of immersed objects is defined using a time dependent level-set function. Solutions are shown for various flow problems and the accuracy of the present approach is measured with respect to solutions on body-conforming meshes.     

An h-hierarchical adaptive scaled boundary finite element method for elastodynamics

A posteriori h-hierarchical adaptive scaled boundary finite element method (ASBFEM) for transient elastodynamic problems is developed. In a time step, the fields of displacement, stress, velocity and acceleration are all semi-analytical and the kinetic energy, strain energy and energy error are all semi-analytically integrated in subdomains. This makes mesh mapping very simple but accurate. Adaptive mesh refinement is also very simple because only subdomain boundaries are discretised. Two 2D examples with stress wave propagation were modelled. It is found that the degrees of freedom needed by the ASBFEM are only 5%–15% as needed by adaptive FEM for the examples.     

Recent developments in the Trefftz method for finite element and boundary element applications

In 1926 E. Trefftz published a paper about a variational formulation which utilizes boundary integrals. Almost half a century later researchers became interested again in the ideas of Trefftz when the potential advantage of the Trefftz-method for an efficient use in numerical application on a computer was recognized. The concept of Trefftz can be used both for finite element and boundary element applications. A crucial ingredient of the Trefftz- method is a set of linearly independent trial functions which a priori satisfy the governing differential equations under consideration. In this paper an overview of some recent developments to construct trial functions for the Trefftz-method in a systematic manner is given. Using different types of approximation functions (singular or non-singular) we can obtain very accurate finite element and boundary element algorithms.     

A finite element creep crack growth model for Waspaloy

Plastic and creep deformations lead to reduced stress levels ahead of the crack tip in a creep crack growth test. However, they can also cause microcracks, cavities and other defects forcing fracture. Numerous damage models are reported in the literature to describe the behavior. In this article, a damage model will be developed from different theories and will be used to describe the creep crack growth behavior of Waspaloy at 973 K. Material parameters for this model are adjusted to uniaxial creep and tensile tests. The calculated creep crack growth curves match very well with the experimental ones supporting the model.     

A finite element model for delamination propagation in composites

In this paper the theory and application of a modelling technique for three-dimensional planar delamination growth in laminated composites has been presented. The method is based on linear elastic fracture mechanics assumptions for delamination cracks and uses a strain energy release rate criterion. For a given component, strain energy release rate is considered to be a non-linear function of the location of the delamination front. Hence, satisfaction of the growth criterion reduces to the solution of a non-linear system of equations. A generalized secant method, by the Broyden's update method, is used to solve the system of non-linear equations. Several examples of the application of the technique are presented.     

On the CFL condition for the finite element immersed boundary method

The finite element version of the immersed boundary method proved to be a robust alternative to the original one which was based on finite differences. In this paper we highlight the advantages of the new method and discuss a stability analysis for its space–time discretization. Numerical experiments confirm the theoretical results.     

A Dorodnitsyn finite element formulation for turbulent boundary layers

The Dorodnitsyn boundary layer formulation is combined with a modified Galerkin finite element formulation and an implicit, non-iterative marching scheme to generate a computational algorithm that is both accurate and very economical. For four representative pressure gradient cases taken from the 1968 Stanford Turbulent Boundary Layer Conference the Dorodnitsyn finite element formulation is compared with a Dorodnitsyn spectral formulation and a representative finite difference package. All methods produce solutions of high accuracy but the Dorodnitsyn finite element formulation is about ten times more economical than the other methods.     

An extended finite element method for modeling crack growth with frictional contact

A new technique for the finite element modeling of crack growth with frictional contact on the crack faces is presented. The eXtended Finite Element Method (X-FEM) is used to discretize the equations, allowing for the modeling of cracks whose geometry are independent of the finite element mesh. This method greatly facilitates the simulation of a growing crack, as no remeshing of the domain is required. The conditions which describe frictional contact are formulated as a non-smooth constitutive law on the interface formed by the crack faces, and the iterative scheme implemented in the LATIN method [Nonlinear Computational Structural Mechanics, Springer, New York, 1998] is applied to resolve the nonlinear boundary value problem. The essential features of the iterative strategy and the X-FEM are reviewed, and the modifications necessary to integrate the constitutive law on the interface are presented. Several benchmark problems are solved to illustrate the robustness of the method and to examine convergence. The method is then applied to simulate crack growth when there is frictional contact on the crack faces, and the results are compared to both analytical and experimental results.     

A finite element method for flow separation

The finite element model has been developed in order to solve separation pattern of the flow past an obstruction in a two-dimensional flow field. The Helmholtz-Poisson form of the Reynolds equations are solved alternately until a stable flow separation in the neighbourhood of the obstruction is obtained. In order to check the results of the finite element model, an experimental separation pattern using Pitot-tube measurements has been conducted. The computed and the experimental flow separation patterns show a good agreement.     

Accuracy of the finite element method near a curved boundary

Solutions of problems by the finite element method, when curved boundaries are present in the model, may not be accurate. Such a difficulty arises when straight-line elements are used to approximate the curved boundary. This behavior is known in the literature as the “Babuska Paradox”. Despite the fact that the problem has been recognized since the mid 60's, and methods to overcome it have been used quite successfully, many textbooks still ignore it. Here, this “paradox” is demonstrated by plane-stress problems, to which analytical results exist. One known method (the isoparametric element) is used to show how to overcome these difficulties.     

On the stability of the finite element immersed boundary method

The immersed boundary (IB) method is a mathematical formulation for fluid–structure interaction problems, where immersed incompressible visco-elastic bodies or boundaries interact with an incompressible fluid.The original numerical scheme associated to the IB method requires a smoothed approximation of the Dirac delta distribution to link the moving Lagrangian domain with the fixed Eulerian one.We present a stability analysis of the finite element immersed boundary method, where the Dirac delta distribution is treated variationally, in a generalized visco-elastic framework and for two different time-stepping schemes.     

Analysis of two-dimensional mixed-mode crack problems by finite element alternating method

A finite element alternating method is presented and applied to analyze two-dimensional linear elastic mixed-mode fracture problems with single or multiple cracks. The method involves the iterative superposition of the finite element solution of a bounded uncracked plate and the analytical solution of an infinite two-dimensional plate with a crack subjected to arbitrary normal and shear loadings. The normal and shear residual stresses evaluated at the location of fictitious cracks are fitted by appropriate polynomials through the least-squares method. Based on those coefficients of the determined polynomials, the mixed-mode stress intensity factors can be calculated accurately. The interaction effects among cracks are also considered. This method provides a highly efficient way to deal with two-dimensional fracture problems.     

Modeling crack in viscoelastic media using the extended finite element method

In this paper,the problem of modeling crack in 2D viscoelastic media is studied using the extended finite element method.The paper focuses on the definition of enrichment functions suitable for cracks assessment in viscoelastic media and the generalized domain integrals used in the determination of crack tip parameters.The opening mode and mixed mode solutions of crack tip fracture problems in viscoelastic media are also undertaken.The results obtained by the proposed method show good agreement with the ana...     

A hybrid stress doubly curved shell finite element

Development of a hybrid stress doubly curved shall finite element is described and its accuracy demonstrated by application to a problem with known solution.     

A finite element method for consolidation of clay

We consider a model for consolidation of clay in the case of an elasto-plastic soil skeleton. We prove existence of a solution and we prove an error estimate for a finite element method for finding approximate solutions of the problem.