The Thick Level Set model (TLS) was proposed recently [Moës, Stolz, Bernard, Chevaugeon, 2011] to simulate non-local damage and to provide a natural transition to fracture at the same time. The method is connected to the notion of distance function and the numerical implementation may involve enrichments in the spirit of eXtended Finite Element Methods (X-FEM). The presentation will provide an introduction to these methods and the TLS model will be compared to alternative approaches like phase-field modeling.

Cazes_Vortag.pdf