Advanced reproducing kernel meshfree modeling of cracked curved shells for mixed-mode stress resultant intensity factors

A meshfree approach for analyzing the fracture mechanics parameters in cracked curved shells is presented. The reproducing kernel (RK) meshfree method and mapping technique are employed to approximate cracked curvilinear surfaces and field variables. In order to model the crack segment, the meshfree discretization techniques are used. The stabilized conforming nodal integration (SCNI) and sub-domain stabilized conforming integration (SSCI) techniques are adopted to accurately integrate the stiffness matrix. The contour integral is chosen to evaluate the fracture mechanics parameters and discretized using the RKs and SSCI. The J-integral value is separated into symmetric and asymmetric components using the decomposition method to extract the mode-I and -II stress resultant intensity factors (SRIFs). The numerical results reveal that the accurate J-integral value and mixed-mode SRIFs of cracked curved shells can be effectively evaluated using the proposed formulation and discretization. The simplified fatigue crack propagation is also presented.