International Journal of Fracture 30 (1986) 13-29

Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, Dordrecht - Printed in the Netherlands

Analysis of mixed mode fracture and crack closure using the
boundary integral equation method
G. KARAMI * and R.T. FENNER
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Imperial College of Science and Technology, London SW7 2BX, UK
(Received 6 September 1984; in revised form 19 July 1985)
Abstract
A multi-domain boundary integral equation method, employing an isoparametric quadratic representation of
geometries and functions, is developed for the analysis of two-dimensional linear elastic fracture mechanics
problems. The multi-domain approach allows the two faces of a crack to be modelled in independent sub-regions
of the body, avoiding singularity difficulties and making it possible to analyse crack closure problems with
contact stresses over part of the cracked faces. Problems solved include slanted cracked plate mixed mode and
crack closure examples, also crack closure situations involving fully reversed bending of an edge cracked strip,
both with and without a superimposed tensile loading.
1. Introducti on
Elastic stress analysis of cracked solid component s is concerned mai nl y with det ermi ni ng
the stress fields in the vicinity of the crack tips or fronts. For this purpose, the boundar y
integral equat i on (BIE) numeri cal met hod is now well established [1-4]. There are,
however, some difficulties i nherent in appl yi ng directly most existing BI E met hods to
crack problems, in t hat at t empt s to model coi nci dent crack faces lead t o singular
coefficient mat ri ces [1]. Met hods devel oped to overcome these difficulties include treating
the pl ane of a flat crack as a pl ane of symmet r y and model l i ng onl y one crack face [2,3],
separat i ng the faces of the crack by small distances [2], and in two di mensi ons using a
special Gr een' s funct i on to represent a t ract i on-free crack [2,5,6]. Anot her alternative [7],
and the one t hat is used here, is to empl oy a mul t i -domai n BI E formul at i on, with the
crack (or cracks) formi ng part of a boundar y bet ween sub-regi ons of the overall pr obl em
domai n. The two surfaces of the crack are t hen model l ed in separate domai ns, and
appr opr i at e const rai nt or cont i nui t y condi t i ons are applied over the entire i nt er-domai n
boundar y, i ncl udi ng the crack. It is t hen also possible to consi der crack closure probl ems,
in whi ch the faces of the crack are not traction-free. For this purpose, it is necessary to be
able to treat elastic cont act probl ems in whi ch the extent and nat ure of the cont act is not
known in advance.
The work descri bed here is restricted to t wo-di mensi onal probl ems. It empl oys a BI E
formul at i on using i soparamet ri c quadrat i c line elements in conj unct i on with an i ncremen-
tal iterative procedure [8] to deal with the cont act boundar y condi t i ons. Al t hough these
condi t i ons make the probl ems essentially non-linear, it is still onl y necessary in the BI E
met hod to discretise the boundari es of the chosen sub-regions.
* Now at Department of Mechanical Engineering and Energy Studies, University College, Cardiff CF2 1TA,
Wales, UK.
13
14 G. Karami and R. T. Fenner
2. Review of the BIE method
The analytical basis of the BIE method is the transformation of the partial differential
equations applicable throughout the solution domain into an integral equation over the
boundary. The details of this procedure [9-11] are summarised here for later reference. In
the case of a multi-domain treatment, each sub-region is analysed separately, linked to its
neighbours only by constraint or continuity conditions on their common boundaries.
In two-dimensional elastostatics, the integral equation for displacements at an interior
point p of a plane elastic region R with boundary S can be derived from Betti's theorem
and the solution to Kelvin's problem of the point load in an infinite plane. This integral
equation is Somigliana's identity.
ui ( p) = -- f s Zi j ( P, a) uj ( a) dS -}- f s Ui j ( P, a) t j ( a) ds (1)
where ui(p) is the displacement vector at interior point p; ui(Q), q(Q) are the boundary
displacements and tractions, and U/j(p, Q), T,7(p, Q) are the displacements and trac-
tions, respectively, in the x~ directions at boundary point Q due to orthogonal unit loads
in the Xg directions at p.
The second order tensors U~j and T, i are given by
U/j = 4r( 1 p. ) E. ((3 4~*) aij j ) (2)
1
Ti j = 4~(1-- , . ) ( 1) [~n( ( 1- - 2~' *) ~i j +2r, ir, j)
--(1 -- 2t,*)(njr, i-- nir, j )] (3)
where 3~j is the Kronecker delta, r is the distance from p to Q, the n i are the components
of the unit normal at Q, and the implied differentiations are with respect to the
coordinates of Q. Under plane strain conditions, the effective Young's modulus and
Poisson's ratio, E* and ~,*, are equal to the actual values E and ~, while under plane
stress they are
E*=E( 1- I , *2) ; i,*= 1,
1 + p" (4)
Taking p ~ P, a boundary point, by a limiting process results in the BIE, which is an
integral constraint relating boundary tractions to boundary displacements
Q uj(Q dS =ff,(e, Q) t j ( Q) dS (5)
in which
Cij(P ) ----- lim f Tij(P , Q)dS (6)
E ----~ O *t S
where S, is the boundary of R,, which is the part of R contained within a circle of radius c
centred at P.
If the tangent to the boundary at P is continuous
Cij(P) = 13ij. (7)
Once the BIEs for the sub-regions have been solved, the displacements and tractions
are known everywhere on the region boundaries, and from these data the displacements
and stresses at any interior point may be calculated if required.
Analysis of mixed mode fracture 15
Numerical solutions to the BIEs are found by discretizing the boundaries into
elements, and expressing the distributions of the unknowns over these elements in terms of
suitable algebraic functions involving values at certain nodal points associated with the
elements. The fact that only boundary displacements or tractions are to be determined
means that a two-dimensional problem requires only one dimensional line integration. In
the computer program used in the present work, the boundaries are represented by
three-node line elements, each with a node at each end and one at its mid-point. The
isoparametric representation of geometry and unknowns is in terms of quadratic shape
functions of intrinsic coordinates,
xi(~)=NC(~')x~; ui(~)=UC(~)u;; ti(~)=UC(~)t c (8)
where N~(~), c = 1, 2, 3, are quadratic shape functions of the intrinsic coordinate
(~ = - 1, 0, and + 1 at the first, second, and third nodes along the element) given by
NI ( ~) = ~( ~ - 1)
NZ( f ) = 1 - f2 (9)
U3(~ ") = ~(~" + 1).
If the boundary of a particular region is represented by m such elements and a total of q
nodes (q = 2m), (5) then becomes
m
3 / ' +1 " a
Cij(Pa)uj(P") + 2., 2 uj(Pa(b'")) L1 Tu(P , Q(~))N"(~)J(~)d~
b=l c =l
3 f +l .
= Z tj(Pa(b'c)) J- 1 Uij(pa' Q(f ))N~(f )j (~)d~ (10)
b=l c =l
where Pa is the at h node and d(b, c) is the number of the cth node of the bth element.
Also, J(~) is the Jacobian of the transformation from x i to
dx, dN~(~)x} ~) ( i = 1, 2)
J" (~) d~ - d~
j ( f ) = i j12(~) + j22(~)[x/2. (11)
The numerical integrations over the line elements on the boundary of the solution domain
are carried out using Gaussian quadrature, six point formulae being used throughout the
present work. Equation (10) results in a system of 2q linear algebraic equations for the
nodal point displacements and tractions for the sub-region concerned, and similar
equations can be written for the other regions.
Before the equations can be solved, the relevant boundary conditions must be imposed.
For nodal points not on an interface between sub-regions, and therefore on a boundary of
the overall domain, either the displacements or the tractions, or some relationship between
them, is specified. For nodal points on an interface which is not a physical boundary, but
where sub-regions S (e) and S (f) meet, continuity of displacements and tractions requires
that
u} e) = u}f) ] (12)
t} e) + t} f) = 0 ] i = 1, 2. (13)
For nodal points on an interface which represents two initially coincident surfaces in
contact, such as the faces of a crack, more complex conditions must be considered. For a
pair of initially coincident nodes, one in each sub-region, which separate under load,
conditions of zero traction are appropriate. If the surfaces remain in contact and do not
16 G. Karami and R. T. Fenner
suffer relative slip, however, (12) and (13) are applicable. If slip occurs under Coulomb
friction conditions, then if n and t are the normal and tangential directions relative to the
two surfaces, the four constraint conditions become
U(n e) = U ( f ) (14)
t (e) q- t(n f) = 0 (15)
t[ e) q-lxt (e) and t [/ )= +l.tt(n f) (16)
where
t[ e) + t[ f) = 0
and /* is the coefficient of friction. Since the extent and nature of the contact are not, in
general, known in advance, the problem must be solved incrementally. The applied load is
incremented in such a way as to adjust the contact conditions at the pair of nodes closest
to such a change, linearity of response being assumed over each increment [8].
3. Evaluation of stress intensity factors
Many of the techniques for obtaining values of stress intensity factors by the BIE method
were first developed for use with the finite element method, and are based on the expected
form of local solution in the vicinity of the crack tip. For points along a face of a crack in
a two-dimensional region, the local solutions for displacements normal to and tangential
to the crack face are
4Ki ( 1- v . 2) I { r ~
(17)
u. = -e* V )
4Kn( 1 - v . 2)
u, = ( 18)
respectively, where r is the (small) distance from the crack tip and K I and K n are the
mode I and mode II stress intensity factors.
One way to determine these factors is with the aid of re-arranged forms of (17) and (18)
E* ( 2~ Un
K I = (19)
4(1 - v . 2)
E* ( 2~y u t
Ku = 4(1 - p. 2) V/F " (20)
TO obtain the value of K I at the crack tip, comput ed values of Un/V'r for nodal points
on the crack face are plotted against the distance from the crack tip, and the curve
extrapolated to find the value at r = 0. Similarly, KII can be found by plotting values of
t/vT.
An alternative approach is to use the local solution for stresses just ahead of the crack
tip, together with a similar form of extrapolation. Solutions for K I and KI~ based on
stresses, are, however, generally inferior to those based on displacements.
The J contour integral of Rice [12] can also be used to compute stress intensity factors
from a path-independent line integral around the crack tip, the data for which can be
obtained from the BIE method. In the case of a multi-domain treatment applied to a crack
problem, the contour for integration passes through two domains. If x a is the coordinate
Analysis of mixed mode fracture 17
direction parallel to the faces of the crack, and x 2 is normal to it in the plane of interest,
then
j=f (wax2 - Oui '
r +r , +r 2\ ti~xlds} (21)
where w is the strain energy density and s follows the contour. The contour is made up of
three portions, Y around the crack tip, within the material, terminating on the faces of the
crack, and F 1 and Y 2 along these two faces. The contributions to J of F 1 and F 2 are only
non-zero if the faces make contact and are therefore not free of stress. The integral along
F may be evaluated numerically by dividing the contour into quadratic line elements, and
obtaining the required data at the interior nodal points so formed from the BIE results.
The J integral can be related to the stress intensity factors as follows
j ( 1- v .2)
7 (KI 2 + K~I ) . (22)
Since the nature of the stress (strain) singularity at the crack tip is known, it is useful to
be able to closely represent this behaviour. As in the finite element method [13,14], this
can be achieved using isoparametric quadratic elements at a crack tip with mid-side nodes
shifted to the quarter point positions nearer the tip. This technique has been used in the
present work. The effect of this node shifting is to impose a n r 1/ 2 variation of displace-
ments relative to the crack tip (where r is the distance from the crack tip), which implies
a n r - 1/ 2 variation of strains, and hence stresses. The similar r 1/ 2 variation imposed on
tractions can be modified to the required r -1/2 form by the technique described by
Blandford et al. [7].
(a)
W
W
IIIt l l t
W
o'o
(b)
I
I
-" I "-
Figure 1. Single edge cracked plate under tensile loading, (a) plate geometry (b) arrangement of line elements on
the boundary (16 elements per domain) and circular contours centred at the crack tip (6 elements per contour),
for a/W= 0.5.
18 G. Karami and R.T. Fenner
If quarter point node shifted elements are used, then further methods of extracting
stress intensity factors from near-tip displacements are available. One of these is the
displacement correlation method discussed by Tracey [15]. Another such method, and the
one that is used in the present work, is that described by Shih et al. [16], also Blandford et
al. [71.
4. A simple test problem
The method is first applied to a simple mode I crack problem, for which solutions are well
established. Figure l a shows a single edge cracked rectangular plate (in plane strain)
under uniform tensile loading, %, at its ends, while Fig. l b shows a typical discretisation
of the boundaries of the plate, also the three circular contours used for evaluating J
integrals. Note that elements are located not only on the crack faces but also along the line
ahead of the crack, in order to create two sub-regions. Mid-side nodes of the quadratic
line elements are shown as points, while end nodes are shown as short straight lines
normal to the elements. Note that advantage could have been taken of symmetry about
0
5
0
I i I I i I I I
O0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8
a/ w
Figure 2. Variation of stress intensity factor with crack length for single edge cracked plate in tension under
pl ane strain conditions, ~ = 0.3. O BIE met hod without node shifting, usi ng J integral, zx BIE met hod with node
shifting, usi ng J integral. + BIE met hod with node shifting, usi ng di spl acement correlation. - - Tada et al.
[16].
Analysis of mixed mode fracture 19
the line of the crack to halve the region of analysis, but it would not then have been
possible to test the multi-domain approach.
Figure 2 shows normalised stress intensity factor, Ki/%((~ra ) plotted against relative
crack length, a/W. The analytical solution given by Tada et al. [17] is shown, together
with numerical BIE results for crack tip elements both without and with quarter point
node shifting. For both types of elements, results obtained by J integral approach
(averaging the J values Obtained for the three contours considered, there being only small
differences between these values) are presented, and in the case of node shifted elements
those obtained by displacement correlation are also shown. Clearly, the use of node
shifted elements at the crack tip improves accuracy, and the J integral approach is more
accurate than displacement correlation.
5. Mi xe d mode cracked pl ate probl ems
Figure 3a shows a rectangular plate (in plane strain) with a slanted central crack, under
uniform tensile loading, Oo, at its ends, while Fig. 3b shows the arrangement of of line
elements used to model the plate, dividing it into two convenient sub-regions. This
problem was treated analytically by Tada at al. [17]. It was also solved numerically by
Cruse and Wilson [6] using both a special Green's function BIE method, and a finite
element treatment. These results, together with those obtained by the present multi-do-
main BIE method, for normalised mode I and mode II stress intensity factors, Kl / oo( f ~
and Kii/%(f(-~, are summarised in Table 1. The present results were obtained by
(a) ~o (b)
t/3
,..Z
e = 45
-- I .
f.,_.J
l~ t t t t
W 'o
Figure 3. Rectangular plate with slanted central crack under tensile loading, (a) plate geometry (b) arrangement
of line elements (21 elements per domain) for a/W= 1lye.
20 G. Karami and R. T. Fenner
Tabl e 1. Stress intensity factors for the mi xed mode pr obl em (u = 0.3, pl ane strain)
Normal i sed K I Tada et al. Finite element BIE Mul t i -domai n BIE met hod
[16] Cruse and Wi l son By special Gr een' s Wi t h Wi t hout
[6] funct i on Cruse and node shifting node shifting
Wi l son [6]
K[
OoV/ ( ~
0.730 0.728 0.712 0.732 0.714
KII
0.600 0.590 0.590 0.591 0.571
% Difference - - 0.27 - 2.47 + 0.27 - 2.19
- - 1.67 - 1.67 - 1.50 - 4.83
displacement extrapolation or correlation rather than the J integral, since the latter
cannot distinguish the two modes. The combined effects of the two modes, were, however,
checked by J integral calculation according to (22). A very similar table was presented by
Blandford et al. [7], except that their multi-domain BIE method gave 0.725 and 0.598 for
the normalised K I and K n values, respectively.
Clearly, the present method gives very good accuracy with a modest number of
boundary elements, provided quarter point node shifting at the crack tips is used. Further
1.5
1.2
O
;>
o
"o
o.g
0.6
o a/ W = 0.5
L~ a/ W = 0.4
K I / d o V ( 1"~ o )
K~/do V(Tta)
,/S" "~
0.3 , / ~ ,,,
/ / %
/ %~
I I ' %
O i ,~"
0 15 30 /,5 60 75 90
Crack angle 8 (degrees)
Fi gure 4. Vari at i ons of stress intensity factors wi t h crack angle for rect angul ar plate wi t h sl ant ed central crack
under tensile loading.
Analysis of mixed mode fracture
3.6
21
3.0
2.4
o
;>
~1. 8
", I
N;
1.2
0.6
o a/W : 0.5
z~ a/W = O.L o/
KT/dV(T~a ) /
. . . . . . KI I / d~ (Tt a ) o
0 15 30 45 60 75 90
Crack ongie 8 (degrees)
Figure 5. Variations of stress intensity factors with crack angle for rectangular plate with slanted edge crack
under tensile loading.
results for the slanted central crack problem are shown in Fig. 4, where normalised stress
intensity factors are plotted against crack angle 0 (defined in Fig. 3) for crack lengths
a/ W= 0.4 and 0.5.
Another similar mixed mode problem is that of a rectangular plate with a slanted crack
at one edge, under uniform tensile loading. The geometry is that obtained by dividing the
plate shown in Fig. 3a along its vertical centre line and considering one of the antisymmet-
rical halves. Figure 5 shows stress intensity factors computed by the present BIE method
plotted against crack angle for crack lengths of a/ W= 0.4 and 0.5.
6. Crack closure problems
Paris and Tada [18] presented stress intensity factors for cyclic reversed bending of a
single edge cracked strip, including the effects of crack surface contact. In cyclic fully
reversed bending, when the crack extends beyond the neutral axis of the uncracked strip
(that is, a/ W> 0.5, a being the crack length and W the width of the strip) the crack tip
receives two pulses of loading in each cycle. One pulse is due to the positive (crack
opening) bending moment, M +, and gives a mode I stress intensity K~-, while the other is
due to the negative (initially crack closing) moment, M- , giving K}-. For fully reversed
bending, M + and M- are equal in magnitude, but K~- and K I certainly are not. Indeed,
Paris and Tada [18] concluded that the effect of K I is negligible compared to that of K[
22 G. Karami and R. T. Fenner
on fatigue crack growth. Gustafson [19], however, disagreed with this, particularly for
deep cracks under displacement controlled conditions, concluding that the K I/K~( values
are higher than reported.
Here, results are presented for two problems, both for a strip with a single edge crack,
one under pure reversed bending and the other under reversed bending combined with a
uniform tensile load. Stress intensity factors were obtained for bot h cases using the J
integral approach. Quarter point node shifting was used in elements on either side of the
crack tip, plane strain conditions were assumed, as were the material properties for steel
( E = 2 1011 N/ m 2, u = 0.3).
Fully reversed bending
Figure 6a shows the geometry of the problem treated, together with the linearly distrib-
uted tensile stresses applied to the ends of the strip to create the required bending
moments (negative moments being created by the distributions shown). Under positive
moment there is no contact between the crack faces. Under negative moment, however,
there is contact, either over the whole of the surfaces ( a/ W< 0.5), or over part of the
surfaces at the mout h of the crack ( a/ W> 0.5). The length of the faces in contact, c, is
independent of the magnitude of the moment for a given length of crack.
The extent of contact and the distribution of normal contact stress, oc, can be
computed by the BIE method, using the typical mesh of boundary elements shown in Fig.
6b, together with mode I stress intensity factors for bot h positive and negative bending
(a)
W
W
i
W
M +
(6)
!
m i z
I IJLI I
I
: ! ,
Figure 6. Single edge cracked strip under fully reversed bending, (a) strip geometry, (b) arrangement of line
elements (16 elements per domain) for a/W= 0.6.
Analysis of mixed mode fracture 23
9.0
7.5
erc t W2
N
5.0
/..5
3.0
1.5
0
\
o a/ W : 0.6
zx a/ W : 0. 7
+ a/ W : 0. 8
I i
0.2 0.4
x/ W
I ~ i
0.5 0.8
Figure 7. Variation of contact stress over the crack faces for single edge cracked strip in fully reversed bending
under plane strain conditions, u = 0.3.
moments. Figure 7 shows normalised contact stress, octW2/M (where M/ t is the negative
bending moment per unit thickness of strip), plotted against relative distance, x/ W, from
the mouth of the crack (x being as shown in Fig. 6a) for relative crack depths of
a/ W = 0.6, 0.7 and 0.8. Note that the common normalised stress value of 6 computed at
x = 0 is that which would have been obtained for simple bending of an uncracked strip.
Also, that the extent of contact, c/W, is not very dependent on crack length. Numerical
values for this parameter are shown in Table 2, together with computed values of the ratio
KI/ K~, also the corresponding values given by Paris and Tada [18]. The latter were
obtained by superimposing approximate analytical solutions for strips of infinite length.
The agreement between the two sets of stress intensity factor ratios is good, with the
computed values being slightly lower than the approximate analytical ones.
Table 2. Stress intensity factors for single edge cracked plate under fully reversed bending
a/ W c/ W KI / K ~
Present Paris and Tada
results [17]
0.6 0.49 2.31% 2.40%
0.7 0.44 4.43% 4.61%
0.8 0.39 5.26% 5.40%
24 G. Karami and R. T. Fenner
,21 M
% tW 2
10 o = 1.8333
A -- 0.6833
, , K
8T_~ + = 0.4315
O,c l ~ : 0.3383
do o
6
4
0
",o
0 o
0 0.2 0.4 0.6
x/o
I , I
0.8 1.0
Figure 8. Variation of contact stress over the crack faces for single edge cracked strip in combi ned tension and
fully reversed bendi ng under pl ane strain conditions, ~ = 0.3, a~ W = 0.6.
Combined tension and fully reversed bending
The problem geometry and arrangement of boundary elements used are again as shown in
Fig. 6. In this case, however, uniform tensile stresses of magnitude % are added to the
bending stress distributions on the ends of the strip. As the bending moment becomes
increasingly negative, the crack eventually starts closing from the crack mouth. The length,
c, of contact so caused depends on the magnitude of the tensile stress, for a given length of
crack.
This problem was studied by Gross and Srawley [20] using a boundary collocation
technique, but only up to the point where contact between the crack faces occurs. Using
the present BIE numerical method, however, bot h the extent of contact and the distribu-
tion of normal contact stress, % can be computed. Figure 8 shows normalised contact
stress ~c/%, plotted against relative distance, x/ a from the mout h of the crack for a
particular crack depth of a/ W= 0.6 and four values of (negative) bending moment
between M/ %t W 2= 0.3383 and 1.6333 (chosen to give relative contact lengths, c/a,
between about 0.16 and 0.67). Figure 9 shows normalised stress intensity factor,
Ki / oo(~- ~, plotted against normalised (negative) bending moment, M/ootW 2, for four
different relative crack depths. Initially, K I decreases linearly with increasing M- , in
agreement with the results of Gross and Srawley [20]. But, this linear decrease ceases when
the contact occurs. Then, for short cracks, K I declines to zero as full contact between the
crack faces is achieved. For longer cracks ( a/ W > 0.5), however, K I then increases with
increasing M- as the crack remains only partially closed.
Fredriksson [21] used a finite element method to solve this problem, and concluded
that, for a/ W= 0.55 the stress intensity factor remains almost constant once the crack
Analysis of mixed mode fracture
14.4
rn
12.6
18.8
[]
t~= 9. 0]'
o
~ 7. 2
;o
5.4 ~ \
n a/ W = 0.7
o a/ W= 0,6
A a/ W=05
+ a/ W= 04
. . . . . . . Gross & Sr awl ey [19 ]
( f or a/ W = 0,4 & 0.5 )
25
3.6
1.8
Oi i I ~- - ~ I
-0.4 0.2 0.8
I I ~ I
1.4 2.0 2.6 3.2
M/ ~0t w 2
Fi gure 9. Variation of stress intensity factor with reversed bendi ng moment for single edge cracked strip in
combi ned tension and bendi ng under pl ane strain conditions, p = 0.3.
faces make contact. While this is a reasonable conclusion for crack depths close to
a/ W= 0.5, Fig. 9 shows that it is not true for deeper cracks.
7. Mixed mode crack closure problems
Having considered both mixed mode and crack closure problems separately, it is now
appropriate to treat examples which combine the two effects.
Bending of a plate with a slanted central crack
The geometry of the plate is that of Fig. 3a, and plane strain conditions are again
assumed. Instead of the tensile loading, %, applied to the ends of the plate, however,
bending moments M + as shown in Fig. 6a are applied. These cause one end of the crack
(the lower end in Fig. 3a) to open, but the other end to remain closed. There is also a
tendency for shear stresses to be set up on the parts of the crack faces in contact. Initially,
26 G. Karami and R. T. Fenner
Table 3. Stress intensity factors for plate with a slanted centre crack subject to bending (u = 0.3, plane strain, a
sin 0 = 0.5W, o = 3M+/TW 2, no slip)
0 a K I KI I C g
vw' - )
45 0.707 0.242 0.264 0.30 1.0
60 0.577 0.308 0.169 0.32 0.58
90 0.5 0.404 0 0.33 0.0
/x is the minimum coefficient of friction necessary to prevent slip.
a non slip condi t i on on the crack faces was considered, and the effect of friction is
consi dered below.
Three crack angles were investigated, namel y O = 45 , 60 and 90 , in each case the
length of the crack bei ng such t hat a sin 0 = 0.5W. Quart er poi nt node shifting was used
at the ends of the cracks and stress i nt ensi t y factors f ound by di spl acement correl at i on
[16]. Values of stress intensity fact or may be normal i sed with respect to o ~ , where
o = 3M+/ t W 2 is the nomi nal bendi ng stress at the posi t i on of the crack tip in the absence
of a crack, accordi ng to simple bendi ng theory, M+/ t bei ng the bendi ng moment per uni t
thickness of plate. The ot her paramet er of interest is the length, c, of the crack over whi ch
the crack faces remai n in contact. Tabl e 3 shows the mai n comput ed results in the form of
normal i sed stress intensity factors and the ratio c/ a. The values (normal i sed with respect
to local tensile stress in the absence of the cracks) are much lower t han those for the same
geometries under simple tensile l oadi ng (Fig. 4). The extent of cont act of the crack faces is
not very dependent upon the angle of the crack. The last col umn of the table shows the
mi ni mum coefficients of friction, /~, necessary to mai nt ai n the non slip condi t i on. These
are f ound from the ratios bet ween tangential and nor mal t ract i ons at node pairs in the
cont act region. Clearly, the/~ values are t oo hi gh for slip to be prevent ed at 0 values of
45 and 60 , while at 0 = 90 there is no t endency for slip to occur.
I n contrast, Tabl e 4 shows the results obt ai ned when slipping bet ween the crack faces is
allowed to occur, at different values of coefficient of fri ct i on, namel y/ ~ = 0 (frictionless),
0.1, 0.2, and 0.3. While Tabl e 4(a) shows stress intensity factors comput ed at the open end
of the slanted crack, Tabl e 4(b) presents those at the closed end. In the latter case, all
mode I values are obvi ousl y zero, while all mode II values are zero at 0 = 90 , due to the
resulting symmet ry. Values of the ratio c/ a are not shown in Tabl e 4 since in all cases
t hey do not differ significantly f r om those shown in Tabl e 3 for the same value of the slant
angle, 0. Clearly, at the open crack tip, the stress i nt ensi t y factors are not much affected
by the coefficient of friction, while at the closed tip, K H decreases quite substantially with
increasing friction.
Shearing of a plate with a slanted central crack
The geomet ry of the plate is again t hat of Fig. 3a, and pl ane strain condi t i ons are
assumed. The l oadi ng now takes the form of uni f or m shear stresses of magni t ude ~-
applied to the sides of the plate, upwards on the right hand side and downwar ds on the
left hand side (Fig. 3a). These cause the crack faces to remai n in cont act .
Three crack angles of 0 = 45 , 60 and 90 , with a sin 0 = 0.5W, were again investi-
gated. Values of stress intensity factors, whi ch are the same for each of the two crack tips,
may be normal i sed with respect t o ~'~(~ra), and the results are shown in Tabl e 5, for four
different values of coefficient of friction. Since the crack does not open, K I is zero in all
of the cases considered. At 0 = 45 , slip onl y occurs for /~ less t han about 0.12.
Consequent l y, for the cases /~ = 0.2 and 0.3 shown in the table, the plate behaves as
Analysis of mi xed mode fracture 27
rq
II
~5
II
0
0
~q
::' 2"
",1
.q ,~ ,,~-
c'q
e',l
0 r"-
q"~ 0 0
II
H
II
2
0
[..,
6,
0
0
o
"2
zl .
28 G. Karami and R. T. Fenner
though it is uncracked, and no stress intensities are created. On the other hand, at 0 = 90 ,
although the crack faces remain just in contact, no normal contact forces are created, and
therefore no frictional forces. Hence, K H is independent of friction coefficient.
8. Conclusions
A multi-domain BIE formulation, employing an isoparametric quadratic representation of
geometries and functions, for the analysis of two dimensional crack problems has been
presented. The faces of a crack were modelled as the boundaries of independent sub-do-
mains of the body. In addition to avoiding the singularity difficulties associated with
coincident crack faces, this also made it possible to analyse crack closure situations in
which part of the crack faces come into contact. The use of singularity boundary elements
at crack tips, in which the mid-side nodal points were shifted to the quarter points nearer
the tips, was found to enhance significantly the accuracy of the stress intensity factor
solutions obtained. The same was true of the J integral technique for extracting these
solutions, used in preference to methods based on crack face displacements except in the
case of mixed mode fracture problems.
The BIE method was successfully applied to a single edge cracked plate test problem,
also slanted centre cracked plate and slanted edge cracked plate mixed mode and crack
closure problems. The method was also applied to crack closure problems involving fully
reversed bending of an edge cracked strip, bot h with and without a superimposed tensile
loading. Some earlier approximate stress intensity factor solutions were confirmed, and
further results presented, including the distributions of contact stresses on the crack faces.
Acknowledgement
The authors are indebted to Dr K.H. Lee for his contributions to the development of the
boundary integral equation computer program used in the present work. The first author
is also grateful to Esfahan University of Technology Iran for financial support during the
course of this work.
References
[1] T.A. Cruse, in The Surface Crack: Physical Problems and Computational Solutions, edited by J.L. Swedlow,
ASME (1972) 153-170.
[2] T.A. Cruse, Applied Mathematical Modelling 2 (1978) 287-293.
[3] C.L. Tan and R.T. Fenner, Proceedings of the Royal Society (London) A369 (1979) 243-260.
[4] C.L. Tan and R.T. Fenner, International Journal of Fracture 16 (1980) 233-245.
[5] M.D. Snyder and T.A. Cruse, International Journal of Fracture 11 (1975) 315-328.
[6] T.A. Cruse and R.B. Wilson, Nuclear Engineering and Design 46 (1978) 223-234.
[7] G.E. Blandford, A.R. Ingraffea and J.A. Liggett, International Journal for Numerical Methods in Engineering
17 (1981) 387-404.
[8] G. Karami, "A Boundary Integral Equation Method for Two-Dimensional Elastic Contact Problems",
Ph.D. Thesis, University of London (1983).
[9] T.A. Cruse, International Journal of Solids and Structures 5 (1969) 1259-1274.
[10] J.C. Lachat and J.O. Watson, International Journal for Numerical Methods in Engineering 10 (1976)
991-1005.
[11] J.C. Lachat and J.O. Watson, Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering 10 (1977) 273-289;
[12] J.R. Rice, Transactions of ASME, Journal of Applied Mechanics 35 (1968) 374-386.
[13] R.D. Henshell and K.G. Shaw, International Journal for Numerical Methods in Engineering 9 (1975)
495-507.
[14] R.S. Barsoum, International Journal for Numerical Methods in Engineering 10 (1976) 25-37.
[15] D.M. Tracey, International Journal for Numerical Methods in Engineering 11 (1977) 401-402.
[16] C.F. Shih, H.G. de Lorenzi, and M.D. German, International Journal of Fracture 12 (1976) RCR 647-651.
Analysis of mixed mode fracture 29
[17] H. Tada, P.C. Paris, and G.R. Irwin, The Stress Analysis of Cracks Handbook, Del Research Corporation,
Hellertown (1973).
[18] P.C. Paris, and H. Tada, International Journal of Fracture 11 (1975) RCR 1070-1072.
[19] C.G. Gustafson, International Journal of Fracture 12 (1976) RCR 460-462.
[20] B. Gross and J.E. Srawley, "Stress-Intensity Factors for Single Edge Not ch Specimens in Bending or
Combined Bending and Tension by Boundary Collocation of a Stress Function", Technical Report, NASA
TN D-2603 (1965).
[21] B. Fredriksson, Computers and Structures 6 (1976) 281-290.
R6sum6
Pour analyser les problrmes de mrcanique de rupture linraire et 61astique en deux dimensions, on a drvelopp6
une formulation sur plusieurs domaines de la mrt hode d' rquation intrgrale aux limites, en recourant h une
reprrsentation quadratique isoparamrtrique des gromrtries et des fonctions.
L' approche multidomaine permet de modrliser les deux faces d' une fissure dans des sous-r6gions i ndrpen-
dantes, ce qui 6vite des difficultrs de singularitr, et rend possible l' analyse des problrmes de fermeture d' une
fissure avec des contraintes de contact agissant sur une pattie des faces de la fissure.
Les problrmes auxquels on trouve solution sont not amment la plaque fissurre sur un bord et sollicitre suivant
un mode mixte, avec aussi fermeture de la fissure, ou des situations de fermeture de fissure oh se trouve une
bande fissurre sur un de ses bords et soumise h flexion complrte rrversible, avec ou sans sollicitations de traction
surimposre.