Evaluation of the T-stress and stress intensity factor for a cracked plate in general case using eigenfunction expansion variational method

This paper investigates the T-stress and stress intensity factor for a cracked plate in general case. In the general case, the shape of boundary and the applied loading are arbitrary. The eigenfunction expansion variational method (EEVM) is developed to evaluate the T-stress and stress intensity factor. For the traction boundary value problem, the EEVM is equivalent to the theorem of least potential energy in elasticity. Therefore, the EEVM possesses a clear physical meaning and it does not depend on any boundary collocation scheme. Several numerical examples are presented, which include: (1) a line crack in circular plate and (2) a line crack in rectangular plate. Numerical examination for convergence in an example is carried out.