XFEM

Warning

Support for XFEM in Sierra/SM is currently at an experimental level. As such, not all features may be fully implemented or tested and the analyst should use this capability with caution

Angled Crack Cylinder

This numerical example demonstrates XFEM cutting and planar crack growth in 2-D shell elements using a hollow cylinder under uniform tensile loading and an angled prescribed crack. As the force increases, stress concentration at the crack tip leads to crack growth once the threshold is reached, analyzed using explicit dynamics.

Plate with Multiple Holes

This numerical example showcases X-FEM nucleation and branching capabilities for 2-D shell elements using a plate with multiple holes under uniform tensile loading. As the force increases, stress concentrations lead to crack nucleation at the large holes, with cracks growing in various modes and branching based on user-specified criteria.