Abstract
A simplified implementation of the conventional extended finite element method (XFEM) for dynamic fracture in thin shells is presented. Though this implementation uses the same linear combination of the conventional XFEM, it allows for considerable simplifications of the discontinuous displacement and velocity fields in shell finite elements. The proposed method is implemented for the discrete Kirchhoff triangular (DKT) shell element, which is one of the most popular shell elements in engineering analysis. Numerical examples for dynamic failure of shells under impulsive loads including implosion and explosion are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness and robustness of the method.
Highlights
We describe a method for modeling fractured discrete Kirchhoff triangular (DKT) shell elements [1] based on the extended finite element method (XFEM) [2, 3]
We described a new finite element method for prediction of dynamic fractures in thin shells
For the representation of discontinuities due to cracks, the described method employs a simplified version of the conventional XFEM based on the phantom node method
Summary
We describe a method for modeling fractured discrete Kirchhoff triangular (DKT) shell elements [1] based on the extended finite element method (XFEM) [2, 3]. Cirak et al [10, 11] have developed a method for dynamic crack propagation in Kirchhoff type shells based on interelement cohesive crack methods [12,13,14]; in the interelement cohesive crack methods, the crack is limited to propagation along the element edges with local remeshing. The described implementation scheme is mainly based on the XFEM, but its actual implementation follows the phantom node method [7, 18] that has been developed by the author of this paper. In this approach [7, 18], the element which contains the crack is replaced by two superposed elements with additional nodes. Mesh refinements, and the crack propagation speeds converge to the progressive crack propagation results [6, 19, 20]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
