Cutting of a 3-D finite element mesh for automatic mode I crack propagation calculations

A previous article (G. Dhondt, ÔAutomatic 3-D mode I crack propagation calculations with Þnite elementsÕ, Int. J. Numer. Meth. Engng. 41, 739Ð757 (1998)) has illustrated how automatic 3-D mode I cyclic crack propagation calculations making repeated use of the Þnite element method can be performed for structures in which the crack plane is made up of element faces. In the present paper an automatic cutting procedure is proposed which allows the method to be applied to arbitrarily meshed structures for which the crack plane intersects the elements. New 20-node brick elements are automatically generated and a subsequent smoothing procedure improves the quality of the resulting mesh. The method is illustrated by cyclic crack propagation calculations in a specimen and an industrial component