Extended finite element-based cohesive zone method for modeling simultaneous hydraulic fracture height growth in layered reservoirs

In this study,a fully coupled hydromechanical model within the extended finite element method(XFEM)-based cohesive zone method(CZM)is employed to investigate the simultaneous height growth behavior of multi-cluster hydraulic fractures in layered porous reservoirs with modulus contrast.The coupled hydromechanical model is first verified against an analytical solution and a laboratory experiment.Then,the fracture geometry(e.g.height,aperture,and area)and fluid pressure evolutions of multiple hydraulic fractures placed in a porous reservoir interbedded with alternating stiff and soft layers are investigated using the model.The stress and pore pressure distributions within the layered reservoir during fluid injection are also presented.The simulation results reveal that stress umbrellas are easily to form among multiple hydraulic fractures’tips when propagating in soft layers,which impedes the simultaneous height growth.It is also observed that the impediment effect of soft layer is much more significant in the fractures suppressed by the preferential growth of adjoining fractures.After that,the combined effect of in situ stress ratio and fracturing spacing on the multi-fracture height growth is presented,and the results elucidate the influence of in situ stress ratio on the height growth behavior depending on the fracture spacing.Finally,it is found that the inclusion of soft layers changes the aperture distribution of outmost and interior hydraulic fractures.The results obtained from this study may provide some insights on the understanding of hydraulic fracture height containment observed in filed.

Extended multiscale finite element method for mechanical analysis of heterogeneous materials

An extended multiscale finite element method （EMsFEM） is developed for solving the mechanical problems of heterogeneous materials in elasticity.The underlying idea of the method is to construct numerically the multiscale base functions to capture the small-scale features of the coarse elements in the multiscale finite element analysis.On the basis of our existing work for periodic truss materials, the construction methods of the base functions for continuum heterogeneous materials are systematically introduced. Numerical experiments show that the choice of boundary conditions for the construction of the base functions has a big influence on the accuracy of the multiscale solutions, thus,different kinds of boundary conditions are proposed. The efficiency and accuracy of the developed method are validated and the results with different boundary conditions are verified through extensive numerical examples with both periodic and random heterogeneous micro-structures.Also, a consistency test of the method is performed numerically. The results show that the EMsFEM can effectively obtain the macro response of the heterogeneous structures as well as the response in micro-scale,especially under the periodic boundary conditions.

Hydro-mechanical modeling of impermeable discontinuity in rock by extended finite element method

The extended finite element method(XFEM) is a numerical method for modeling discontinuities within the classical finite element framework. The computation mesh in XFEM is independent of the discontinuities, such that remeshing for moving discontinuities can be overcome. The extended finite element method is presented for hydro-mechanical modeling of impermeable discontinuities in rock. The governing equation of XFEM for hydraulic fracture modeling is derived by the virtual work principle of the fracture problem considering the water pressure on crack surface. The coupling relationship between water pressure gradient on crack surface and fracture opening width is obtained by semi-analytical and semi-numerical method. This method simplifies coupling analysis iteration and improves computational precision. Finally, the efficiency of the proposed method for modeling hydraulic fracture problems is verified by two examples and the advantages of the XFEM for hydraulic fracturing analysis are displayed.

Fracture properties of epoxy asphalt mixture based on extended finite element method

Crack is found to be a major distress that affects the performance of the epoxy asphalt pavement.An extended finite element method was proposed for investigating the fracture properties of the epoxy asphalt mixture.Firstly,the single-edge notched beam test was used to analyze the temperature effect and calculate the material parameters.Then,the mechanical responses were studied using numerical analysis.It is concluded that 5℃ can be selected as the critical temperature that affects the fracture properties,and numerical simulations indicate that crack propagation is found to significantly affect the stress state of the epoxy asphalt mixture.The maximum principal stress at the crack surface exhibits different trends at various temperatures.Numerical solution of stress intensity factor can well meet the theoretical solution,especially when the temperature is lower than 5℃.

Thermoelastic analysis of multiple defects with the extended finite element method

In this paper, the extended finite element method (XFEM) is adopted to analyze the interaction between a single macroscopic inclusion and a single macroscopic crack as well as that between multiple macroscopic or microscopic defects under thermal/mechanical load. The effects of different shapes of multiple inclusions on the material thermomechanical response are investigated, and the level set method is coupled with XFEM to analyze the interaction of multiple defects. Further, the discretized extended finite element approximations in relation to thermoelastic problems of multiple defects under displacement or temperature field are given. Also, the interfaces of cracks or materials are represented by level set functions, which allow the mesh assignment not to conform to crack or material interfaces. Moreover, stress intensity factors of cracks are obtained by the interaction integral method or the M-integral method, and the stress/strain/stiffness fields are simulated in the case of multiple cracks or multiple inclusions. Finally, some numerical examples are provided to demonstrate the accuracy of our proposed method.

Evaluation of mixed-mode stress intensity factors by extended finite element method

Extended finite element method （XFEM） implementation of the interaction integral methodology for evaluating the stress intensity factors （SIF） of the mixed-mode crack problem is presented. A discontinuous function and the near-tip asymptotic function are added to the classic finite element approximation to model the crack behavior. Two-state integral by the superposition of actual and auxiliary fields is derived to calculate the SIFs. Applications of the proposed technique to the inclined centre crack plate with inclined angle from 0° to 90° and slant edge crack plate with slant angle 45°, 67.5° and 90° are presented, and comparisons are made with closed form solutions. The results show that the proposed method is convenient, accurate and computationallv efficient.

Treatment of discontinuous interface in liquid-solid forming with extended finite element method

Extended finite element method(XFEM) is proposed to simulate the discontinuous interface in the liquid-solid forming process.The discontinuous interface is an important phenomenon happening in the liquid-solid forming processes and it is difficult to be simulated accurately with conventional finite element method(CFEM) because it involves solid phase and liquid phase simultaneously.XFEM is becoming more and more popular with the need of solving the discontinuous problem happening in engineering field.The implementation method of XFEM is proposed on Abaqus code by using UEL(user element) with the flowchart.The key is to modify the element stiffness in the proposed method by using UEL on the platform of Abaqus code.In contrast to XFEM used in the simulation of solidification,the geometrical and physical properties of elements were modified at the same time in our method that is beneficial to getting smooth interface transition and precise analysis results.The analysis is simplified significantly with XFEM.

Simulation of three-dimensional tension-induced cracks based on cracking potential function-incorporated extended finite element method

In the finite element method,the numerical simulation of three-dimensional crack propagation is relatively rare,and it is often realized by commercial programs.In addition to the geometric complexity,the determination of the cracking direction constitutes a great challenge.In most cases,the local stress state provides the fundamental criterion to judge the presence of cracks and the direction of crack propagation.However,in the case of three-dimensional analysis,the coordination relationship between grid elements due to occurrence of cracks becomes a difficult problem for this method.In this paper,based on the extended finite element method,the stress-related function field is introduced into the calculation domain,and then the boundary value problem of the function is solved.Subsequently,the envelope surface of all propagation directions can be obtained at one time.At last,the possible surface can be selected as the direction of crack development.Based on the aforementioned procedure,such method greatly reduces the programming complexity of tracking the crack propagation.As a suitable method for simulating tension-induced failure,it can simulate multiple cracks simultaneously.

Cracking Propagation of Hardening Concrete Based on the Extended Finite Element Method

Self-deformation cracking is the cracking caused by thermal deformation, autogenous volume deformation or shrinkage deformation. In this paper, an extended finite element calculation method was deduced for concrete crack propagation under a constant hydration and hardening condition during the construction period, and a corresponding programming code was developed. The experimental investigation shows that initial crack propagation caused by self-deformation loads can be analyzed by this program. This improved algorithm was a preliminary application of the XFEM to the problem of the concrete self-deformation cracking during the hydration and hardening period. However, room for improvement exists for this algorithm in terms of matching calculation programs with mass concrete temperature fields containing cooling pipes and the influence of creep or damage on crack propagation.

Mesoscopic characterization and modeling of microcracking in cementitious materials by the extended finite element method

This study develops a mesoscopic framework and methodology for the modeling of microcracks in concrete. A new algorithm is first proposed for the generation of random concrete meso-structure including microcracks and then coupled with the extended finite element method to simulate the heterogeneities and discontinuities present in the meso-structure of concrete. The proposed procedure is verified and exemplified by a series of numerical simulations. The simulation results show that microcracks can exert considerable impact on the fracture performance of concrete. More broadly, this work provides valuable insight into the initiation and propagation mechanism of microcracks in concrete and helps to foster a better understanding of the micro-mechanical behavior of cementitious materials.

Using Extended Finite Element Method for Computation of the Stress Intensity Factor, Crack Growth Simulation and Predicting Fatigue Crack Growth in a Slant-Cracked Plate of 6061-T651 Aluminum

The 6061-T651 aluminium alloy is one of the most common aluminium alloys for marine components and general structures. The stress intensity factor (SIF) is an important parameter for estimating the life of the cracked structure. In this paper, the stress intensity factors of a slant-cracked plate, which is made of 6061-T651 aluminum, have been calculated using extended finite element method (XFEM) and finite element method (FEM) in ABAQUS software and the results were compared with theoretical values. Numerical values obtained from these two methods were close to the theoretical values. In simulations of crack growth at different crack angles, the crack propagation angle values were closer to the theoretical values in XFEM method. Also, the accuracy and validity of fatigue crack growth curve were much closer to the theoretical graph in XFEM than the FEM. Therefore, in this paper the capabilities of XFEM were realized in analyzing issues such as cracks.

基于XFEM的大体积结构波动传播规律及裂纹反演方法

大体积混凝土结构被广泛应用于土木、水利等领域的重大工程中,而混凝土抗拉强度低的力学特性决定了其易产生裂纹,因此,发展高效的检测方法,识别大体积混凝土结构中的裂纹信息十分必要.论文提出了一种新的方法,通过提取响应信号频谱中特定频率的幅值特征,基于BP人工神经网络建立幅值特征与裂纹信息间的映射关系,从而有效识别出裂纹信息.首先采用扩展有限元法(eXtended Finite Element Methods, XFEM)和人工吸收边界模型,分别模拟了单裂纹和双裂纹情形下,大量不同裂纹信息下特定位置传感器的响应,分析其频谱曲线并提取特征,建立频谱特征—裂尖位置数据集,以训练人工神经网络,测试集的反演效果显示,该方法具有较好的准确度,可有效识别出裂纹信息.

Recent advances in the extended finite element method (XFEM) and isogeometric analysis (IGA)

The finite element method （FEM） is one of the most popular and efficient methods for computational modeling in scien- tific research and engineering . To expand its application to more complex problems, lots of new FEM-based methods have been developed in recent decades.

XFEM和修正剑桥模型模拟高聚物劈裂注浆方法研究

针对自膨胀高聚物材料在土体中劈裂扩散仿真手段尚不完备的现状,初步建立了一种模拟高聚物对土体劈裂压密作用的仿真方法。该方法采用扩展有限元离散求解区域土体介质,用修正剑桥模型描述土体力学特性,利用高聚物密度-围压关系迭代计算作用于裂缝面的浆液膨胀压力,实现了对土体劈裂缝扩展过程的数值模拟,通过与试验结果的对比验证了该方法的适用性。算例分析表明,应用该方法能够模拟膨胀力作用下土体裂缝启裂过程、扩展走向和浆脉厚度变化,获得裂缝周围土体变形模量、孔隙比、应力场和密度场分布特征,为深入研究膨胀性高聚物注浆材料对土体劈裂压密机制奠定了基础。

基于XFEM钢桥面板-U肋焊缝疲劳裂纹扩展规律及其影响因素分析

目的研究正交异性钢桥面板与U肋焊缝在循环荷载作用下萌生于焊趾、焊跟处的疲劳裂纹扩展规律及影响因素。方法基于扩展有限单元法(XFEM),利用ABAQUS有限元软件建立了3U肋正交异性板数值分析模型,通过引入初始裂纹长度、面板厚度、应力比三个变量参数,分析评价这些参数变化对焊趾、焊跟处的疲劳裂纹扩展规律及疲劳寿命影响程度。结果初始裂纹长度由0.5 mm增加至1.5 mm、面板厚度由14 mm增加至20 mm、应力比由0.1增加至0.8时,焊趾处裂纹疲劳寿命分别减少46.6%、提高797%、提高364%,焊跟处裂纹疲劳寿命分别减少51.2%、提高425%、提高351%。结论XFEM能准确预测面板与U肋焊缝疲劳细节的疲劳裂纹扩展路径及其疲劳寿命;初始裂纹长度越长、面板厚度和应力比越小,疲劳裂纹的扩展速率愈快、相应的疲劳寿命越小。

Numerical modeling of concrete hydraulic fracturing with extended finite element method

The extended finite element method (XFEM) is a new numerical method for modeling discontinuity. Research about numerical modeling for concrete hydraulic fracturing by XFEM is explored. By building the virtual work principle of the fracture problem considering water pressure on the crack surface, the governing equations of XFEM for hydraulic fracture modeling are derived. Implementation of the XFEM for hydraulic fracturing is presented. Finally, the method is verified by two examples and the advan- tages of the XFEM for hydraulic fracturing analysis are displayed.

Modeling crack in viscoelastic media using the extended finite element method

In this paper,the problem of modeling crack in 2D viscoelastic media is studied using the extended finite element method.The paper focuses on the definition of enrichment functions suitable for cracks assessment in viscoelastic media and the generalized domain integrals used in the determination of crack tip parameters.The opening mode and mixed mode solutions of crack tip fracture problems in viscoelastic media are also undertaken.The results obtained by the proposed method show good agreement with the analytical methods and provide reasonable background information to enhance the modeling of crack growth in viscoelastic media.

Numerical Study of Quasi-Static Crack Growth Problems Based on Extended Finite Element Method

The extended finite element method(XFEM) is a numerical method for modeling discontinuities within a classical finite element framework. Based on the algorithm of XFEM, the major factors such as integral domain factor and mesh density which all influence the calculation accuracy of stress intensity factor(SIF) are discussed,and the proper parameters to calculate the SIF are given. The results from the case analysis demonstrate that the crack path is the most sensitive to the crack growth increment size, and the crack path is not mesh-sensitive. A reanalysis method for the XFEM has been introduced. The example presented shows that there is a significantly reduced computational cost for each iteration of crack growth achieved by using the reanalysis method and the reanalysis approach has increasing benefits as the mesh density increases or the value of crack growth increments size decreases.

OPTIMAL QUADRATIC NITSCHE EXTENDED FINITE ELEMENT METHOD FOR INTERFACE PROBLEM OF DIFFUSION EQUATION

In this paper, we study Nitsche extended finite element method （XFEM） for the inter- face problem of a two dimensional diffusion equation. Specifically, we study the quadratic XFEM scheme on some shape-regular family of grids and prove the optimal convergence rate of the scheme with respect to the mesh size. Main efforts are devoted onto classifying the cases of intersection between the elements and the interface and prove a weighted trace inequality for the extended finite element functions needed, and the general framework of analysing XFEM c^n be implemented then.

Extended finite element methods for optimal control problems governed by Poisson equation in non-convex domains

This paper analyzes two extended finite element methods(XFEMs)for linear quadratic optimal control problems governed by Poisson equation in non-convex domains.We follow the variational discretization concept to discretize the continuous problems,and apply an XFEM with a cut-off function and a classic XFEM with a fixed enrichment area to discretize the state and co-state equations.Optimal error estimates are derived for the state,co-state and control.Numerical results confirm our theoretical results.