FRACTURE AND CRACK-GROWTH BY ELEMENT FREE GALERKIN METHODS

Element free Galerkin (EFG) methods are methods for solving partial di fferential equations that require only nodal data and a description of the geometry; no element connectivity data are needed. This makes the method very attractive for the modeling of the propagation of cracks, as the number of data changes required is small and easily developed. The method is based on the use of moving least-squares interpolants w ith a Galerkin method, and it provides highly accurate solutions for e lliptic problems. The implementation Of the EFG method for problems of fracture and static crack growth is described. Numerical examples sho w that accurate stress intensity factors can be obtained without any e nrichment of the displacement field by a near-crack-tip singularity an d that crack growth can be easily modeled since it requires hardly any remeshing.