Numerical Modeling of Brittle Cracks Using Higher Order Particle Discretization Scheme–FEM

Abstract

Higher order extension of Particle Discretization Scheme (HO-PDS), its implementation in FEM framework (HO-PDS-FEM) and applications in efficiently simulating cracks are presented in this paper. PDS is an approximation scheme which uses a conjugate domain tessellation pair like Voronoi and Delaunay in approximating a function and its derivatives. In approximating a function (or derivatives), HO-PDS first produces local polynomial approximations for the target function (or derivatives) within each element of respective tessellation. The approximations over the whole domain are then obtained by taking the union of those respective local approximations. These approximations are inherently discontinuous along the boundaries of the respective tessellation elements since the support of the local approximations is confined to the domain of respective tessellation elements and no continuity conditions are enforced. HO-PDS-FEM utilizes these inherent discontinuities in function approximation to efficiently model discontinuities such as cracks. Higher order PDS is implemented in FEM framework to solve boundary value problem of elastic solids, including mode-I crack problems. With several benchmark problems, it is shown that HO-PDS-FEM has higher expected accuracy and convergence rate. J-integral around a mode-I crack tip is calculated to demonstrate the improvement in the accuracy of the crack tip stress field. Further, it is shown that HO-PDS-FEM significantly improves the traction along the crack surfaces, compared to the zeroth-order PDS-FEM [Hori, M., Oguni, K. and Sakaguchi, H. [2005] “Proposal of FEM implemented with particle discretization scheme for analysis of failure phenomena,” J. Mech. Phys. Solids 53, 681–703].