Improvement of the extended finite element method for ductile crack growth

The continuum damage mechanics (CDM) model is added to the extended finite element method (XFEM) to provide a model of ductile crack growth. In this model, the criterion for crack growth in the evaluation of ductile materials is the critical damage parameter obtained from continuum damage mechanics. Numerical implementation of the CDM–XFEM model was used to simulate crack growth modeling in comparison with experimental results, and the results are presented in this paper. The CDM–XFEM model was experimentally validated by the ductile damage evolution measured in A533B1 steel through three-point bending and compact tension tests. The identification of damage parameters was performed under various conditions. The critical load at crack growth initiation, the ductile behavior of cracks and the fracture toughness, JIc, were also predicted with the CDM–XFEM model simulations. The results confirm the potential of the CDM–XFEM model for predicting crack growth in ductile materials. Using the proposed model, crack propagation has been simulated within two examples; center inclined crack and single edged notched beam for A533B1 steel.