Application of embedded discontinuities for softening solids

Additional, discontinuous functions are added to the displacement field of standard finite elements in order to capture highly localised zones of inte nse straining. By embedding discontinuities within an element it is possibl e to effectively model localisation phenomena (such as fracture in concrete ) with a relatively small number of finite elements and without resorting t o higher-order continuum theories. However, the application of continuum co nstitutive laws in combination with embedded discontinuities, several uniqu e performance related issues arise. The source of these problems and some r emedies are addressed here. Numerical results are compared with smeared typ e models for brittle fracture. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights re served.