Embedded crack vs. smeared crack models: a comparison of elementwise discontinuous crack path approaches with emphasis on mesh bias Original Research Article

This paper is concerned with an analysis of the mesh dependence of results from numerical failure analyses using the strong discontinuity approach (SDA) based on an analytical and numerical comparison with a standard plasticity model, pertaining to the classical fracture energy based smeared crack concept using a consistent characteristic length. The SDA is characterized by incorporating the kinematics of fractured solids locally within the finite element. The resulting jumps in the displacement field are captured by their corresponding singularly distributed strains. For the analytical and numerical study of the mesh dependence only mode-I failure is considered. Analogies and differences of both finite element formulations are investigated and evaluated.