THE TIME-DOMAIN DBEM FOR RAPIDLY GROWING CRACKS

Abstract

The time-domain Dual Boundary Element Method (DBEM) is developed to analyse rapidly growing cracks in structures subjected to dynamic loads. Two-dimensional problems, where the velocity of the crack growth is constant and the path is not predefined are studied. The present method uses the dual boundary formulation, i.e. the displacement and the traction boundary integral equations to obtain the solution by discretizing the boundary of the body and the crack surfaces only. The crack growth is modelled by adding new elements ahead of the crack tip. It is assumed that the direction of the increment is perpendicular to the direction of maximum circumferential stress. The method is used to analyse growing cracks in infinite sheet and finite plates, and the results are compared with other reported solutions, showing good agreement. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.