What is XFEM

[Fea_pather]

Hello community,

I am trying to use XFEM for my Fracture simulations in ABAQUS. I find it difficult to grasp at first glance. Can anyone please explain XFEM in simpler words for me?

Can I use XFEM in place of VCCT or the Cohesive approach? Under what cases can I use XFEM?

 

[SWComposites]

Extended finite element method - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Lots of other info from a simple google search.

 

[FEA way]

In practice, you can use XFEM in Abaqus to model bulk crack propagation with crack location independent of the mesh. It can be used together with CZM or VCCT (delamination in conjunction with bulk crack propagation). Crack path and location don't have to be predefined.

For more details, check the Abaqus documentation.