Crack propagation criteria in the framework of X-FEM-based structural analyses

The extended finite element method (X-FEM) has proven to be capable of simulating cracking and crack propagation in quasi-brittle materials, such as cement paste or concrete, without the need for re-meshing. In the framework of the X-FEM cracks are represented as surfaces of discontinuous displacements continuously propagating through finite elements. Since crack path continuity is required in X-FEM-based analyses, the reliability of numerical analyses of cracked structures crucially depends on the correct prediction of the crack path and, consequently, on the criterion used for the determination of the crack propagation direction. In this paper four different crack propagation criteria proposed in the literature are investigated including two local and two global criteria. The two local criteria include an averaged stress criterion and the maximum circumferential stress criterion based on the linear elastic fracture mechanics. The two global criteria include a global tracking criterion proposed by Oliver and Huespe (Online Proceedings of the Fifth World Congress on Computational Mechanics, 2002) and an energy based X-FEM formulation recently proposed in (Computational Plasticity 2005. CIMNE: Barcelona, 2005; 565-568; Comput. Methods Appl. Mech. Eng. 2006, in press). Representative numerical benchmark examples, characterized by mode-I dominant fracture as well as by mixed-mode fracture, are used to study the performance and the robustness of the different crack propagation criteria. Copyright (c) 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.