Numerical analysis of a few complex crack problems with a boundary element method

In this paper, numerical analysis of a few complex crack problems is made by using a boundary element method which consists of the non-singular displacement discontinuity element presented by Crouch and Starfield and the crack-tip displacement discontinuity elements due to the author. In the boundary element implementation the left or the right crack-tip displacement discontinuity element is placed locally at the corresponding left or right crack tip on top of the constant displacement discontinuity elements that cover the entire crack surface and the other boundaries. The numerical results of a few complex crack problems, such as “a singly branched crack in an infinite plate”, “interaction between a circular hole and a crack in an infinite plate”, “a pair of branched cracks emanating from an elliptical hole in a rectangular plate under biaxial uniform tensions” and “fatigue growth analysis of a branched crack emanating form the corner of a square hole”, indicate that the numerical approach is very efficient and accurate for analyzing complex plane elasticity crack problems.