Field-enriched finite element method for numerical simulation of initiation, propagation and coalescence of multiple cracks

The study on the mechanical response and cracking behaviors of brittle rock materials with multiple cracks is of vital significance for the design and stability analysis of rock engineering structures. A field-enriched finite element method (FE-FEM) is proposed to study the evolution behaviors of multiple cracks in rock materials, including crack initiation, propagation and coalescence. The solutions to the crack coalescence problem during simulation are proposed. The field-enriched finite element method can directly deal with the complex multiple crack problem, while the extra enriched function needs to be introduced in the extended finite element method (XFEM). The analytical results of the present numerical examples demonstrate that the proposed numerical method has the capability to handle complex multiple crack propagation and coalescence.