A simple FEM–DEM technique for fracture prediction in materials and structures

This paper presents a new computational technique for predicting the onset and evolution of fracture in a continuum in a simple manner combining the finite element method (FEM) and the discrete element method (DEM). Onset of cracking at a point is governed by a simple damage model. Once a crack is detected at an element side in the FE mesh, discrete elements are generated at the nodes sharing the side and a simple DEM mechanism is considered to follow the evolution of the crack. The combination of the DEM with simple 3-noded linear triangular elements correctly captures the onset of fracture and its evolution, as shown in several examples of application in two and three dimensions.