Modelling of Crack Formation and Growth using FEM for Selected Structural Materials at Static Loading

The purpose of this paper is to show the results of a study focused on the occurrence of damage heterogeneous materials, especially on the issue of modelling crack formation and propagation. In the beginning the attention is paid to the direct application of the finite element method to different types of materials in order to find critical parameters determining behaviour of materials at damage process. The applications of damage mechanics and possible approaches to model the origin of a crack propagation through modifications in FEM systems are presented and some practical applications are tested. Main effort is devoted to cement fibre composites and the search for new methods for their more accurate modelling, especially close to the field stress concentrator, respectively ahead of the crack tip. Modified XFEM method has been used as a suitable tool for numerical modelling.