Coarse‐graining of multiscale crack propagation

A method for coarse graining of microcrack growth to the macroscale through the multiscale aggregating discontinuity (MAD) method is further developed. Three new features are: (1) methods for treating nucleating cracks, (2) the linking of the micro unit cell with the macroelement by the hourglass mode, and (3) methods for recovering macrocracks with variable crack opening. Unlike in the original MAD method, ellipticity is not retained at the macroscale in the bulk material, but we show that the element stiffness of the bulk material is positive definite. Several examples with comparisons with direct numerical simulations are given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the method. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.