Modeling fracture in Mindlin–Reissner plates with the extended finite element method

A technique for the modeling of cracks and crack growth in plates using the extended finite element method (X-FEM) is presented. Beginning with a plate formulation which does not exhibit shear locking, the finite element approximation is enriched with both discontinuous and near-tip functions. This allows for the modeling of crack geometries which are independent of the finite element mesh topology, and greatly facilitates the simulation of...