Adaptive analysis of yield line patterns in plates with the arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian method

Plasticity models provide suitable tools to describe the so-called yield li ne pattern that occurs with the failure of plates. However, in a Lagrangian description a huge number of finite elements are needed for accurate solut ions. Accuracy can be combined with low computer costs by means of the arbi trary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) method. With the ALE method, the finite ele ment mesh is automatically refined in the yield lines. A new remesh indicat or is proposed that captures newly appearing yield lines as well as already formed yield lines. Numerical examples show the effectiveness of this appr oach. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.