A generalised path-following solver for robust analysis of material failure

When analysing complex structures with advanced damage or material models, it is important to use a robust solution method in order to trace the full equilibrium path. In light of this, we propose a new path-following solver based on the integral of the rate of dissipation in each material point, for solving problems exhibiting large energy dissipating mechanisms. The method is a generalisation and unification of previously proposed dissipation based path-following solvers, and makes it possible to describe a wider range of dissipation mechanisms, such as large strain plasticity. Furthermore, the proposed method makes it possible to, in a straightforward way, combine the effects from multiple dissipation mechanisms in a simulation. The capabilities of the solver are demonstrated on four numerical examples, from which it can be concluded that the proposed method is both versatile and robust, and can be used in different research domains within computational structural mechanics and material science.