  Following the so-called Cracking Elements Method (CEM), recently presented in
\cite{Yiming:14,Yiming:16}, we propose a novel Galerkin-based numerical
approach for simulating quasi-brittle fracture, named Global Cracking Elements
Method (GCEM). For this purpose the formulation of the original CEM is
reorganized. The new approach is embedded in the standard framework of the
Galerkin-based Finite Element Method (FEM), which uses disconnected
element-wise crack openings for capturing crack initiation and propagation. The
similarity between the proposed Global Cracking Elements (GCE) and the standard
9-node quadrilateral element (Q9) suggests a special procedure: the degrees of
freedom of the center node of the Q9, originally defining the displacements,
are "borrowed" to describe the crack openings of the GCE. The proposed approach
does not need remeshing, enrichment, or a crack-tracking strategy, and it
avoids a precise description of the crack tip. Several benchmark tests provide
evidence that the new approach inherits from the CEM most of the advantages.
The numerical stability and robustness of the GCEM are better than the ones of
the CEM. However, presently only quadrilateral elements with nonlinear
interpolations of the displacement field can be used.
