Crack growth analysis using mesh superposition technique and X‐FEM

In this paper, a new approach to crack propagation analysis for large scale or complicated geometry structures is presented. That is the connection of mesh superposition technique and the extended finite element method. The former is a technique that increases the accuracy of analysis locally by superimposing additional mesh of higher resolution onto the mesh that represents the rough deformation of the structure. In this technique, the boundaries and nodes of both meshes do not have to coincide with each other. In the latter technique, the discontinuity across the crack segment and singularity around the crack tips are represented in the approximation by enriching the nodal degrees using partition of unity condition. This technique does not require meshes to conform to the crack geometry and this enables crack propagation procedure with no re‐meshing process by connecting both techniques, it becomes possible to analyse crack growth models of large scale and complicated shape with highly flexible modelling and no remeshing process. By using this approach, some numerical examples are analysed and appropriate results are obtained. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.