A polygonal finite element method for modeling crack propagation with minimum remeshing

In this paper, a polygonal finite element method is presented for crack growth simulation with minimum remeshing. A local polygonal mesh strategy is performed employing polygonal finite element method to model the crack propagation. In order to model the singular crack tip fields, the convex and concave polygonal elements are modified based on the singular quarter point isoparametric concept that improves the accuracy of the stress intensity factors. Numerical simulations are performed to demonstrate the efficiency of various polygonal shape functions, including the Wachspress, metric, Laplace and mean value shape functions, in modeling the crack tip fields. Eventually, analogy of the results with the existing numerical and experimental data is carried out depicting accuracy of the propounded technique.