Analyzing 2D fracture problems with the improved element-free Galerkin method

This paper presents an improved moving least-squares (IMLS) approximation in which the orthogonal function system with a weight function is used as the basis function. The IMLS approximation has greater computational efficiency and precision than the existing moving least-squares (MLS) approximation, and does not lead to an ill-conditioned system of equations. By combining the element-free Galerkin (EFG) method and the IMLS approximation, an improved element-free Galerkin (IEFG) method for two-dimensional elasticity is derived. There are fewer coefficients in the IMLS approximation than in the MLS approximation, and in the IEFG method that is formed with the IMLS approximation fewer nodes are selected in the entire domain than are selected in the conventional EFG method. Hence, the I EFG method should result in a higher computing speed. For two-dimensional fracture problems, the enriched basis function is used at the tip of the crack to give an enriched I EFG method. When the enriched I EFG method is used, the singularity of the stresses at the tip of the crack can be shown better than that in the IEFG method. To provide a demonstration, numerical examples are solved using the IEFG method and the enriched IEFG method. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.