Extended finite element method for plastic limit load computation of cracked structures

摘要

The extended finite element method is extended to allow computation of the limit load of cracked structures. In the paper, it is demonstrated that the linear elastic tip enrichment basis with and without radial term may be used in the framework of limit analysis, but the six-function enrichment basis based on the well-known Hutchinson-Rice-Rosengren asymptotic fields appears to be the best. The discrete kinematic formulation is cast in the form of a second-order cone problem, which can be solved using highly efficient interior-point solvers. Finally, the proposed numerical procedure is applied to various benchmark problems, showing that the present results are in good agreement with those in the literature. Copyright (c) 2015John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.