DISCONTINUOUS FAILURE ANALYSIS FOR MODE-I AND MODE-II LOCALIZATION PROBLEMS

In this paper failure is assumed to be a discrete phenomenon. A modell ing in which a crack or a shear band is incorporated in the shape func tions of the finite element formulation is used. A discontinuous funct ion of the displacement gradients acts as an additional localized mode with a length scale parameter that is independent of the element size . A predefinition of the failure zone is not necessary and the crack o r shear band can be described with a relatively small number of finite elements. The model is elaborated for simple mode-I and mode-II probl ems. A comparison with standard continuum models for failure has been made. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.