Fracture Analysis of Cast Iron Materials with Cracks Based on Elastoplastic Extended Finite Element Method

Based on the ABAQUS platform for finite element analysis, the extended finite element method (XFEM) considering elastoplastic constitutive relationship is developed, by which the displacement discontinuity across the crack surface and the strong nonlinearity near the crack tip can be described more accurately. The strip specimens with unilateral cracks and central cracks under uniaxial tension are simulated using the XFEM and the FEM, respectively. The J-integral across the crack on each increment is calculated using the equivalent domain integral method (EDIM), the interaction integral method and the FEM, respectively. The effects of mesh size and mesh shape near the crack tip, element type and different calculation methods on the accuracy of J-integral are analyzed. The simulation results show that the XFEM is more accurate than the FEM with the same element size and type. The fracture tests of cast iron specimens with unilateral cracks under uniaxial tension are performed, and the J-integral criterion is valid to predict the fracture initiation in numerical simulation. The critical value of J-integral is calculated using the EDIM of the XFEM. The comparisons demonstrate that the simulated elastoplastic load–displacement curves with the XFEM are in good agreement with the experimental results.