Formulation of a three-dimensional cohesive zone model for application to a finite element algorithm

A formulation is presented herein for implementing a cohesive zone model to a nonlinear finite element algorithm. The cohesive zone model may be of arbitrary type so long as it can be constructed in an incremental form in time. Problems that can then be solved using this algorithm include a broad array of material types, including: elastic, elastoplastic, viscoplastic, and viscoelastic. Multiple cracks may be modeled by this methodology, and any and all can be evolving simultaneously, with crack interaction included explicitly in the formulation. Example problems are included to demonstrate the efficacy of the algorithm. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.