Discontinuous finite element approximation of quasistatic crack growth in nonlinear elasticity

We propose a time-space discretization of a general notion of quasistatic growth of brittle fractures in elastic bodies proposed by Dal Maso, Francfort and Toader,(14) which takes into account body forces and surface loads. We employ adaptive triangulations and prove convergence results for the total, elastic and surface energies. In the case in which the elastic energy is strictly convex, we also prove a convergence result for the deformations.