Modelling cracks with Abaqus

Abstract

This project arises from the fact that nowadays the engineering process is becoming more experimental, so the knowledge on design software is very important in order to save money and time. From this point of view, new mathematical methods are applied to design software to develop new tools for solving a huge number of design analyses. In this case Abaqus software is based on the Finite Element Method, which is a numerical technique for solving models in differential form. For a given design, the FEM requires the entire design, including the surrounding region, to be modelled with finite elements. The final purpose of this project is to develop techniques to model cracks in 2- D and 3-D structures using Abaqus CAE. To develop this project the techniques proposed have to be compared and the data obtained validated with published data.