Leiting Dong1,2, Satya N. Atluri1,3
CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.90, No.2, pp. 91-146, 2013, DOI:10.3970/cmes.2013.090.091
Abstract In this paper, and its companion Part 2 [Dong and Atluri (2013b)], the Symmetric Galerkin Boundary Element Method (SGBEM), and the SGBEM-FEM alternating/coupling methods, are compared with the recently popularized Extended Finite Element Method (XFEM), for analyzing fracture and fatigue crack propagation in complex structural geometries. The historical development, and the theoretical/algorithmic formulations, of each method are succinctly reviewed. The advantages and disadvantages of each method are critically discussed. A comprehensive evaluation of the performances of the SGBEM-based methods, and their comparison with XFEM, in modeling cracked solid structures undergoing fatigue crack-growth is carried out.… More >