ELASTIC CRACK ANALYSIS BY A FINITE ELEMENT HYBRID METHOD

The paper presents an efficient finite element method for evaluating the elastic stress intensity factors at the tip of a sharp crack. The method is based on a hybrid stress model for which special stress terms which represent the correct singularity behavior at the crack tip can be included. The magnitudes of such singular terms which are among the unknowns of the final matrix equations are, in fact, the stress intensity factors to be evaluated. Example solutions include plane stress cracks of both the opening type and in-plane shear type for isotropic materials and of the opening type for anisotropic materials. (Author)