Numerical assessment of T-stress computation using a p-version finite element method

Two path independent integrals for T-stress computations, one based on the Betti-Rayleigh reciprocal theorem and the other based on Eshelby's energy momentum tensor are studied. Analytical as well as numerical equivalence between the two integrals is found. To quantify and assess the accuracy of computed values, error analysis for the proposed numerical computation of the T-stress is presented. Specifically, it is found that the error of the computed T-stress is proportional to the ratio of the stress intensity factor divided by the square root of the characteristic dimension of the integration domain where the path independent integral is evaluated. Using a highly accurate hierarchical p-version finite element method, the convergence and accuracy of computed values are easily monitored, and it is shown for numerical examples that the error of the computed T-stress complies with the described error analysis. We conclude that path independent integrals, in conjunction with hierarchical p-version finite element methods, provide a powerful and robust tool to obtain highly accurate numerical results for the T-stress.