J-integral evaluation for 2D mixed-mode crack problems employing a meshfree stabilized conforming nodal integration method

Two-dimensional (2D) in-plane mixed-mode fracture mechanics problems are analyzed employing an efficient meshfree Galerkin method based on stabilized conforming nodal integration (SCNI). In this setting, the reproducing kernel function as meshfree interpolant is taken, while employing the SCNI for numerical integration of stiffness matrix in the Galerkin formulation. The strain components are smoothed and stabilized employing Gauss divergence theorem. The path-independent integral (J-integral) is solved based on the nodal integration by summing the smoothed physical quantities and the segments of the contour integrals. In addition, mixed-mode stress intensity factors (SIFs) are extracted from the J-integral by decomposing the displacement and stress fields into symmetric and antisymmetric parts. The advantages and features of the present formulation and discretization in evaluation of the J-integral of in-plane 2D fracture problems are demonstrated through several representative numerical examples. The mixed-mode SIFs are evaluated and compared with reference solutions. The obtained results reveal high accuracy and good performance of the proposed meshfree method in the analysis of 2D fracture problems.