A quasi-optimal convergence result for fracture mechanics with XFEM

Abstract

The aim of this Note is to give a convergence result for a variant of the eXtended Finite Element Method (XFEM) on cracked domains using a cut-off function to localize the singular enrichment area. The difficulty is caused by the discontinuity of the displacement field across the crack, but we prove that a quasi-optimal convergence rate holds in spite of the presence of elements cut by the crack. The global linear convergence rate is obtained by using an enriched linear finite element method.