A Review of the Extended Finite Element for Fracture Analysis of Structures

Abstract:

The extended finite element method (X-FEM) is reviewed and some new developments for fracture analysis of structures is presented. The X-FEM is an extension to the classical finite element method (FEM), using the concepts of partition of unity and meshless approaches. It is specifically designed to improve the performance of the conventional finite element method, while keeping the computational costs at an acceptable level, and avoiding the cumbersome remeshing of FEM in crack propagation problems. The simplicity, flexibility in handling several cracks and crack propagation patterns on a fixed mesh, and the level of accuracy with minimum additional degrees of freedom have transformed X-FEM into the most efficient numerical procedure in the arena of computational fracture mechanics.

• Periodical: Applied Mechanics and Materials (Volumes 444-445)
• Pages: 96-102
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.444-445.96
• Online since: October 2013
• Authors: Liang Wu, Li Xing Zhang, Ya Kun Guo
• Keywords: Extended Finite Element Method (XFEM), Fracture Mechanics, Level Set Method

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