The Element Free Galerkin method for dynamic propagation of arbitrary 3-D cracks

A technique for modelling of arbitrary three-dimensional dynamically propagating cracks in elastic bodies by the Element-Free Galerkin (EFG) method with explicit time integration is described. The meshless char- acter of this approach expedites the description of the evolving discrete model; in contrast to the nite element method no remeshing of the domain is required. The crack surface is de ned by a set of triangular elements. Techniques for updating the surface description are reported. The paper concludes with several ex- amples: a simulation of mixed-mode growth of a center crack, mode-I surface-breaking penny-shaped crack, penny-shaped crack growing under mixed-mode conditions in a cube, and a bar with centre through crack. Copyright