Crack growth modeling via 3D automatic adaptive mesh refinement based on modified-SPR technique

In this paper, the three-dimensional automatic adaptive mesh refinement is presented in modeling the crack propagation based on the modified superconvergent patch recovery technique. The technique is developed for the mixed mode fracture analysis of different fracture specimens. The stress intensity factors are calculated at the crack tip region and the crack propagation is determined by applying a proper crack growth criterion. An automatic adaptive mesh refinement is employed on the basis of modified superconvergent patch recovery (MSPR) technique to simulate the crack growth by applying the asymptotic crack tip solution and using the collapsed quarter-point singular tetrahedral elements at the crack tip region. A-posteriori error estimator is used based on the Zienkiewicz–Zhu method to estimate the error of fracture parameters and predict the crack path pattern. Finally, the efficiency and accuracy of proposed computational algorithm is demonstrated by several numerical examples.