Calculation of stress intensity factors in three dimensions by finite element methods

Finite element methods are used to calculate the stress intensity factors for three-dimensional geometries containing a number of depths of crack subjected to various loads. Special elements are used at the tip to represent the variation of the displacement with respect to the square root of the distance from the tip. The stress intensity factors are determined by comparison of the displacements in the special elements, by a method of virtual crack extensions, and, in one case, by an integral around the tip. With meshes containing between 50 and 100 quadratic isoparametric elements, results accurate to within 1 per cent or 4 per cent (depending on case) of known solutions are demonstrated.

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