Abstract
This paper presents a simple FEM-based analysis method for crack propagation analyses of heterogeneous solids. In order to develop a robust and simple algorithm for handling multiple crack growth and interfacial debonding involved in the fracture analysis of heterogeneous solids such as concrete materials, we dare to stay with the standard FEM incorporated with the nodal-integration and the mesh re-alignment techniques. After presenting the problem formulation together with the penalty method, we detail the computational implementations for representing the propagation of strong discontinuities. Benchmark problems, characterized by mixed-mode fracture, are solved to validate the proposed method and numerical examples demonstrate that the present procedure is robust, stable and effective even for the fracture analysis of two-phase composites including multiple cracks and interfacial debonding.
