On micro-to-macro connections in domain decomposition multiscale methods

Micro-to-macro connection techniques constitute a key ingredient in the formulation of multiscale strategies. In this contribution several connection methods are explored for the concurrent multiscale analysis of brittle heterogeneous materials. Particularly, these techniques are investigated in a domain decomposition strong coupling multiscale framework. The structural component under analysis is partitioned into a number of non-overlapping domains and a fine scale resolution is assigned therein in an adaptive manner exploiting a zoom-in technique. Mesh refinement is employed in the domains where crack coalescence and growth take place. The original contribution presented in this manuscript consists in the study of different strong and weak locality constraints that connect coarse and fine resolution domains. Standard collocation and average compatibility are considered and serve as a basis for the development of two new interscale links. The influence of different locality constraints is studied in terms of the mechanical response and the error distribution is compared to a full fine scale analysis. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.