Analyzing the 2D fracture problems via the enriched boundary element-free method

In this paper, the enriched boundary element-free method for two-dimensional fracture problems is presented. An improved moving least-squares (IMLS) approximation, in which the orthogonal function system with a weight function is used as the basis function, is used to obtain the shape functions. The IMLS approximation has greater computational efficiency and precision than the existing moving least-squares (MLS) approximation, and does not lead to an ill-conditioned system of equations. Combining the boundary integral equation (BIE) method and the IMLS approximation, a boundary element-free method (BEFM), for two-dimensional fracture problems is obtained. For two-dimensional fracture problems, the enriched basis function is used at the tip of the crack, and then the enriched BEFM is presented. In comparison with other existing meshless boundary integral equation methods, the BEFM is a direct numerical method in which the basic unknown quantity is the real solution of the nodal variables, and the boundary conditions can be implemented easily, which leads to a greater computational precision. When the enriched BEFM is used, the singularity of the stresses at the tip of the crack can be shown better than that in the BEFM. For the purposes of demonstration, some selected numerical examples are solved using the enriched BEFM.