I use XFEM to monitor the progression of a pre-existing crack in the crack domain. I was wondering if XFEM can be used to predict the initiation locus of failure.
It works not only for simle cases and is not only possible - it is strength of XFEM formulation.
Please, taka a look at benchmark 1.19.2 in Abaqus benchmark Manual. This example verifies and illustrates the use of XFEM in Abaqus/Standard to predict crack initiation and propagation due to stress concentration in a plate with a hole. There is no need to model crack tip. I am including python script for this benchmark.