An extended finite element method for modeling crack growth with frictional contact. (Q5955316)

The authors propose a new technique for finite element modeling of crack growth with frictional contact on crack faces. The extended finite element method is used to discretize the equations. Because the geometry of cracks is independent of the finite element mesh, no remeshing of the domain is required to model the crack growth. The frictional contact conditions are formulated as a non-smooth constitutive law on crack faces. An iterative scheme is implemented in the LATIN method. Several benchmark problems are solved in order to illustrate the robustness of the method and to examine the convergence. The results are compared to analytical and experimental results.