ANSYS implementation of a coupled 3D peridynamic and finite element analysis for crack propagation under quasi-static loading

Abstract

This study presents an approach to couple peridynamic (PD) and finite element method (FEM) for 3D deformation and crack propagation in ANSYS framework. The stiffness matrix of the PD element is derived by using the peridynamic least squares minimization (PD LSM) method based on the small deformation assumption. The PD governing equations are constructed by using MATRIX 27 element native to ANSYS. The coupling between MATRIX 27 elements and traditional finite elements is achieved through the coupled degrees of freedom (DOF) command available in ANSYS. The crack propagation is implemented by monitoring the number of broken bonds and updating the stiffness matrix of the PD element. The accuracy of the coupled PD-FE approach is verified by comparison against the 3D FE displacement predictions. The validity of the coupled PD-FE approach is established by simulating the wedge splitting test.