A discontinuous Galerkin method for cohesive zone modelling

• A new discontinuous FEM for cohesive zones is proposed.
• Allows for seamless transition from pre-failure to post-failure behaviour.
• Application to realistic nonlinear models of cohesive failure.

We propose a discontinuous finite element method for small strain elasticity allowing for cohesive zone modeling. The method yields a seamless transition between the discontinuous Galerkin method and classical cohesive zone modeling. Some relevant numerical examples are presented.