An adaptive singular finite element in nonlinear fracture mechanics (Q933248)

The authors introduce an optimization-based variational principle to determine adaptively the order of singularity in geometrically nonlinear problems, where the type of singularity at re-entrant corners or cracks is not known in advance from analytical solutions. The proposed method improves the accuracy of numerically calculated material forces. It turns out that the order of singularity depends on the element length and on the load level.