Implementation of a non-intrusive approach using a global-local strategy for the Generalized Finite Element Method

Resumo

In general, the standard finite element method available in most commercial software faces difficulties
solving complex structural problems. The Generalized/eXtended Finite Elements Method (G/XFEM) is a powerful
tool for the solution of the class of problems involving discontinuities and singularities such as crack propagation
analysis. In recent years, several investigations have been proposed to make G/XFEM available in the industry
routine. A trend is the complementary bundling of commercial FEM codes with in-house G/XFEM codes,
requiring non-intrusive coupling between these two types of software. This work presents the implementation of
a non-intrusive coupling of multiscale iterative analysis by G/XFEM using global-local enrichment functions
(IGL-GFEMgl). The problem is decomposed into three scales. Commercial FEM software may perform the global
simulation, but here, the same in-house software is used to evaluate these results. G/XFEM global-local code
handles meso and local scale in the INteractive Structural ANalysis Environment (INSANE), an open-source
software developed at the Federal University of Minas Gerais. The meshes of the two bigger scales are conform
and the coupling between them is straightforward established. The Iterative Global-Local (IGL) strategy accounts
for displacement compatibility and force balance at the interface between global and mesoscale. Numerical
examples are presented to evaluate the performance of this strategy.