| Abstract: | General two-dimensional linear elastic fracture problems are investigated using the boundary element method. The √r displacement and 1/√r traction behaviour near a crack tip are incorporated in special crack elements. Stress intensity factors of both modes I and II are obtained directly from crack-tip nodal values for a variety of crack problems, including straight and curved cracks in finite and infinite bodies. A multidomain approach is adopted to treat cracks in an infinite body. The body is subdivided into two regions: an infinite part with a finite hole and a finite inclusion. Numerical results, compared with exact solution whenever possible, are accurate even with a coarse discretization. |
