The optimal XFEM approximation for fracture analysis

The extended finite element method (XFEM) provides an effective tool for analyzing fracture mechanics problems. A XFEM approximation consists of standard finite elements which are used in the major part of the domain and enriched elements in the enriched sub-domain for capturing special solution properties such as discontinuities and singularities. However, two issues in the standard XFEM should specially be concerned: efficient numerical integration methods and an appropriate construction of the blending elements. In the paper, an optimal XFEM approximation is proposed to overcome the disadvantage mentioned above in the standard XFEM. The modified enrichment functions are presented that can reproduced exactly everywhere in the domain. The corresponding FORTRAN program is developed for fracture analysis. A classic problem of fracture mechanics is used to benchmark the program. The results indicate that the optimal XFEM can alleviate the errors and improve numerical precision.