Fast and accurate numerical solution to an elastostatic problem involving ten thousand randomly oriented cracks

摘要

An algorithm is presented for the multiple crack problem in planar linear elastostatics. The algorithm has three important properties: it is stable, it is adaptive, and its complexity is linear. This means that high accuracy can be achieved and that large-scale problems can be treated. In a numerical example stress fields are accurately computed in a mechanically loaded material containing 10,000 randomly oriented cracks. The computing time is about two and a half hours on a regular workstation.