A time-marching scheme based on implicit Green’s functions for elastodynamic analysis with the domain boundary element method

The present work presents an alternative time-marching technique for boundary element formulations based on static fundamental solutions. The domain boundary element method (D-BEM) is adopted and the time-domain Green’s matrices of the elastodynamic problem are considered in order to generate a recursive relationship to evaluate displacements and velocities at each time-step. Taking into account the Newmark method, the Green’s matrices of the problem are numerically and implicitly evaluated, establishing the Green–Newmark method. At the end of the work, numerical examples are presented, verifying the accuracy and potentialities of the new methodology.     

Green’s functions for non-self-adjoint problems in heat conduction with steady motion

Heat conduction in a rectangular parallelepiped that is in steady motion relative to a fluid is studied in this paper. The governing equation consists of the standard heat equation plus lower-order derivative terms with the space variables that represent the effects of the solid flow. The presence of the first-order-derivative terms with the space variables renders the spatial part of the governing differenial equation non-self-adjoint and care must be exercised in defining the new Green’s functions to be used in representing the solutions of initial- and boundary-value problems. It is illustrated how the Green’s functions may be constructed and how solutions of initial- and boundary-value problems may be obtained that lead to numerical results. Convergence properties of the solutions are also discussed.     

Numerical analysis of 2-D crack propagation problems using the numerical manifold method

The numerical manifold method is a cover-based method using mathematical covers that are independent of the physical domain. As the unknowns are defined on individual physical covers, the numerical manifold method is very suitable for modeling discontinuities. This paper focuses on modeling complex crack propagation problems containing multiple or branched cracks. The displacement discontinuity across crack surface is modeled by independent cover functions over different physical covers, while additional functions, extracted from the asymptotic near tip field, are incorporated into cover functions of singular physical covers to reflect the stress singularity around the crack tips. In evaluating the element matrices, Gaussian quadrature is used over the sub-triangles of the element, replacing the simplex integration over the whole element. First, the method is validated by evaluating the fracture parameters in two examples involving stationary cracks. The results show good agreement with the reference solutions available. Next, three crack propagation problems involving multiple and branched cracks are simulated. It is found that when the crack growth increment is taken to be 0.5h≤da≤0.75h, the crack growth paths converge consistently and are satisfactory.     

On the static equilibrium of an elastic orthotropic medium with an arbitrarily oriented elliptical crack

We analyze the problem of the stress distribution in an elastic orthotropic medium with an arbitrarily oriented elliptical crack. To construct the problem solution, the Willis approach is used which is based on the triple Fourier transformation of spatial variables and Fourier-image of Green’s function for an infinite anisotropic space. The investigation results in special cases are compared with the data of other authors. The effect of the elliptical crack orientation in an orthotropic space on the distribution of the stress intensity factors along its contour is studied. __________ Translated from Problemy Prochnosti, No. 4, pp. 146–159, July–August, 2007.     

Numerical simulation of crack problems using triangular finite elements with embedded interfaces

The aim of this paper is to propose numerical aspects for the modeling of discrete cracks in quasi-brittle materials using triangular finite elements with an embedded interface based on the formulation in [Computational Mechanics 27 (2001) 463]. The kinematics of the discontinuous displacement field and the variational formulation applied to a body with an internal discontinuity is given. The discontinuity is modeled by additional global degrees of freedom and the continuity of the displacement jumps across the element boundaries is enforced. To show the performance of the model, a single element test and two examples for mode-I dominated fracture, namely a tension test and a three-point bending beam, are discussed.     

Green’s function for KI determination of axisymmetric elastic solids containing external circular crack

A new Green’s function is derived to determine the mode-I stress intensity factor for axisymmetric solids containing external circular crack. The formulated boundary integral equation is applied to a finite cylindrical bar with an external crack, and the obtained solution is compared with existing published results, indicating good agreement. The proposed method compared with the finite element method or the conventional application of the boundary element method provides the following main advantages: (a) it does not require discretization of the crack surface, (b) it does not require multi-region modeling and (c) it reduces the 3-D discretization of the solid to 1-D resulting in substantially reduced effort.     

Potential discontinuity simulations with the numerical Green’s function in steady and transient problems

This paper applies the numerical Green’s function (NGF) boundary element formulation (BEM) first in standard form to solve the Laplace equation and then, coupled to the operational quadrature method (OQM), to solve time domain problems (TD-BEM). Both involve the analysis of potential discontinuities in the respective scalar model simulation. The implementation of the associated Green’s function acting as the fundamental solution is advantageous since element discretization of actual discontinuity surfaces are no longer required. In the OQM the convolution integral is substituted by a quadrature formula, whose weights are computed using the fundamental solution in the Laplace domain, producing the direct solution to the problem in the time domain. Applications of the NGF to problems involving the Laplace equation and its transient counterpart are presented for two-dimensional potential flow examples, confirming that the formulation is stable and accurate.     

Strength and crack properties of nanoscale materials by ab initio molecular dynamics and temperature lattice Green’s function methods

The crack nucleation and propagation processes in nanoscale materials are studied using the ab initio constraint molecular dynamics method and the lattice Green’s function method. We investigate the strength and fracture behaviors of carbon related nanoscale materials, especially the graphen sheets in comparison with those of carbon nanotubes. The linear elastic parameters, non-linear elastic instabilities, thermal lattice expansion and fracture behaviors are studied in detail. We will show that the thermodynamic and strength properties of the nanoscale materials exhibit characteristic features and they are different from those of the corresponding bulk materials.     

Probabilistic crack growth analyses using a boundary element model: Applications in linear elastic fracture and fatigue problems

This paper addresses the numerical solution of random crack propagation problems using the coupling boundary element method (BEM) and reliability algorithms. Crack propagation phenomenon is efficiently modelled using BEM, due to its mesh reduction features. The BEM model is based on the dual BEM formulation, in which singular and hyper-singular integral equations are adopted to construct the system of algebraic equations. Two reliability algorithms are coupled with BEM model. The first is the well known response surface method, in which local, adaptive polynomial approximations of the mechanical response are constructed in search of the design point. Different experiment designs and adaptive schemes are considered. The alternative approach direct coupling, in which the limit state function remains implicit and its gradients are calculated directly from the numerical mechanical response, is also considered. The performance of both coupling methods is compared in application to some crack propagation problems. The investigation shows that direct coupling scheme converged for all problems studied, irrespective of the problem nonlinearity. The computational cost of direct coupling has shown to be a fraction of the cost of response surface solutions, regardless of experiment design or adaptive scheme considered.     

Edge crack in an elastic layer resting on Winkler foundation

The paper deals with the stress analysis near a crack tip in an elastic layer resting on Winkler foundation. The edge crack is assumed to be normal to the lower boundary plane. The upper surface of the layer is loaded by given forces normal to the boundary. The considered problem is solved by using the method of Fourier transforms and dual integral equations, which are reduced to a Fredholm integral equation of the second kind. The stress intensity factor is given in the term of solution of the Fredholm integral equation and some numerical results are presented.     

Deriving the time-dependent dyadic Green’s functions in conductive anisotropic media

A homogeneous anisotropic conductive medium, characterized by symmetric positive definite permeability and conductivity tensors, is considered in the paper. In this anisotropic medium, the electric and magnetic dyadic Green’s functions are defined as electric and magnetic fields arising from impulsive current dipoles and satisfying the time-dependent Maxwell’s equations in quasi-static approximation. A new method of deriving these dyadic Green’s functions is suggested in the paper. This method consists of several steps: equations for electric and magnetic dyadic Green’s functions are written in terms of the Fourier images; explicit formulae for the Fourier images of dyadic Green’s functions are derived using the matrix transformations and solutions of some ordinary differential equations depending on the Fourier parameters; the inverse Fourier transform is applied numerically to obtained formulae to find dyadic Green’s functions values. Using suggested method images of electric and magnetic dyadic Green’s function components are obtained in such conductive anisotropic medium as the white matter of a human brain.     

A singular edge-based smoothed finite element method (ES-FEM) for crack analyses in anisotropic media

The recently developed edge-based smoothed finite element method (ES-FEM) is extended to fracture problems in anisotropic media using a specially designed five-node singular crack-tip (T5) element. In the formulation of singular ES-FEM, only the assumed displacement values (not the derivatives) on the boundaries of the smoothing domains are needed. Thus, a layer of T5 crack-tip element is devised to construct “singular” shape functions via a simple point interpolation with a fractional order basis, without mapping procedure. The effectiveness of the present singular ES-FEM is demonstrated by intensive examples for a wide range of degrees of anisotropy.     

Numerical simulation of crack deflection and penetration at an interface in a bi-material under dynamic loading by time-domain boundary element method

The hybrid time-domain boundary element method (BEM), together with the multi-region technique, is applied to simulate the dynamic process of crack deflection/ penetration at an interface in a bi-material. The whole bi-material is divided into two regions along the interface. The traditional displacement boundary integral equations (BIEs) are employed with respect to the exterior boundaries; meanwhile, the non-hypersingular traction BIEs are used with respect to the part of the crack in the matrix. Crack propagation along the interface is numerically modelled by releasing the nodes in the front of the moving crack tip and crack propagation in the matrix is modeled by adding new elements of constant length to the moving crack tip. The dynamic behaviours of the crack deflection/penetration at an interface, propagation in the matrix or along the interface and kinking out off the interface, are controlled by criteria developed from the quasi-static ones. The numerical results of the crack growth trajectory for different inclined interface and bonded strength are computed and compared with the corresponding experimental results. Agreement between numerical and experimental results implies that the present time-domain BEM can provide a simulation for the dynamic propagation and deflection of a crack in a bi-material.     

A Trefftz method in space and time using exponential basis functions: Application to direct and inverse heat conduction problems

In this paper we present a Trefftz method based on using exponential basis functions (EBFs) to solve one (1D) and two (2D) dimensional transient problems. We focus on direct and inverse heat conduction problems, the latter being the more challenging ones, to show the capabilities of the method. A summation of exponential basis functions (EBFs), satisfying the governing equation in time and space, with unknown coefficients is considered for the solution. The unknown coefficients are determined by the satisfaction of the prescribed time dependent boundary and initial conditions through a collocation method. Several 1D and 2D direct and inverse heat conduction problems are solved. Some numerical evidence is provided for the convergence and sensitivity of the method with respect to the noise levels of the measured data and time steps.     

Numerical simulation of elastic plastic fatigue crack growth in functionally graded material using the extended finite element method

In the present work, the extended finite element method has been used to simulate the fatigue crack growth problems in functionally graded material in the presence of holes, inclusions, and minor cracks under plastic and plane stress conditions for both edge and center cracks. Both soft and hard inclusions have been implemented in the problems. The validity of linear elastic fracture mechanics theory is limited to the brittle materials. Therefore, the elastic plastic fracture mechanics theory needs to be utilized to characterize the plastic behavior of the material. A generalized Ramberg-Osgood material model has been used for modeling purposes.     

Numerical solution for multiple crack problem in an infinite plate under compression

This paper investigates a numerical solution for multiple crack problem in an infinite plate under remote compression. The influence of friction is taken into account. In the first step of the solution, we make a full contact assumption on the crack faces. The full contact assumption means that one component of the dislocation distribution vanishes, and the first mode stress intensity factors (K ₁) at the crack tips become zero. On the above-mentioned assumption, the problem can be solved by using integral equation method, and the second mode stress intensity factors (K ₂) at the crack tips can be evaluated. Meantime, after solving the integral equation the normal contact stress on the crack faces can be evaluated. The next step is to examine the full contact assumption. If the contact stresses on the crack faces are definitely negative, the solution is true. Otherwise, the obtained solution is not true. It is found from present study that in most cases the full contact condition is satisfied, and only in a few cases the full contact condition is violated. Numerical examples are given. It is found that the friction can lower the stress intensity factors at crack tips in general.     

Modeling of interfacial debonding crack in particle reinforced composites using Voronoi cell finite element method

In this paper, Voronoi cell finite element method (VCFEM), introduced by Ghosh and coworkers (1993), is applied to describe the matrix-inclusion interfacial debonding for particulate reinforced composites. In proposed VCFEM, the damage initiation is simulated by partly debonding of the interface under the assumption of the critical normal stress law, and gradual matrix-inclusion separations are simulated with an interface remeshing method that a critical interfacial node at the crack tip is replaced by a node pairs along the debonded matrix-inclusion interface and a more pair of nodes are needed to be added on the crack interface near the crack tip in order to better facilitate the free-traction boundary condition and the jumps of solution. The comparison of the results of proposed VCFEM and commercial finite element packages MARC and ABAQUS. Examples have been given for a single inclusion of gradually interfacial debonding and for a complex structure with 20 inclusions to describe the interfacial damage under plane stress conditions. Good agreements are obtained between the VCFEM and the general finite element method. It appears that this method is a more efficient way to deal with the interfacial damage of composite materials. The financial support by the Special Funds for the National Major Fundamental Research Projects G19990650 and the National Natural Science Foundation of China No. 59871022 are gratefully acknowledged.     

Elastic Wave Propagation in a Class of Cracked,Functionally Graded Materials by BIEM

Elastic wave propagation in cracked, functionally graded materials (FGM) with elastic parameters that are exponential functions of a single spatial co-ordinate is studied in this work. Conditions of plane strain are assumed to hold as the material is swept by time-harmonic, incident waves. The FGM has a fixed Poisson’s ratio of 0.25, while both shear modulus and density profiles vary proportionally to each other. More specifically, the shear modulus of the FGM is given as μ (x)=μ ₀ exp (2ax ₂), where μ ₀ is a reference value for what is considered to be the isotropic, homogeneous material background. The method of solution is the boundary integral equation method (BIEM), an essential component of which is the Green’s function for the infinite inhomogeneous plane. This solution is derived here in closed-form, along with its spatial derivatives and the asymptotic form for small argument, using functional transformation methods. Finally, a non-hypersingular, traction-type BIEM is developed employing quadratic boundary elements, supplemented with special edge-type elements for handling crack tips. The proposed methodology is first validated against benchmark problems and then used to study wave scattering around a crack in an infinitely extending FGM under incident, time-harmonic pressure (P) and vertically polarized shear (SV) waves. The parametric study demonstrates that both far field displacements and near field stress intensity factors at the crack-tips are sensitive to this type of inhomogeneity, as gauged against results obtained for the reference homogeneous material case     

Numerical solutions of boundary detection problems using modified collocation Trefftz method and exponentially convergent scalar homotopy algorithm

In this paper, the boundary detection problem, which is governed by the Laplace equation, is analyzed by the modified collocation Trefftz method (MCTM) and the exponentially convergent scalar homotopy algorithm (ECSHA). In the boundary detection problem, the Cauchy data is given on part of the boundary and the Dirichlet boundary condition on the other part of the boundary, whose spatial position is unknown a priori. By adopting the MCTM, which is meshless and integral-free, the numerical solution is expressed by a linear combination of the T-complete functions of the Laplace equation. The use of a characteristic length in MCTM can stabilize the numerical procedure and ensure highly accurate solutions. Since the coefficients of MCTM and the position of part of the boundary are unknown, to collocate the boundary conditions will yield a system of nonlinear algebraic equations; the ECSHA, which is exponentially convergent, is adopted to solve the system of nonlinear algebraic equations. Several numerical examples are provided to demonstrate the ability and accuracy of the proposed meshless scheme. In addition, the consistency of the proposed scheme is validated by adding noise into the boundary conditions.     

Hermite spectral method for solving inverse heat source problems in multiple dimensions

In this paper, we in multiple dimensions. We present a stability estimate for determining the source term in the multiple dimensional heat equation in an unbounded domain, and the regularization parameter is chosen by a discrepancy principle. Error estimate between the exact solution and its regularization solution is given. Numerical experiments for the one-dimension and two-dimension cases show the effectiveness of the method.