A hybrid‐element approach to crack problems in plane elasticity

Abstract

Abstract The hybrid‐element concept and the complex variable technique have been adopted for constructing a special super‐element to be used jointly with conventional finite elements for the analysis of elastic stress intensity factors for plane cracks. The use of the complex variable technique permits the proper consideration of the stress intensity at the crack tip, and it also leads to very efficient programming. The use of such a super‐element in the finite element solution has been shown to be highly accurate when only a very coarse element mesh is used near the crack.