Closed-form stress intensity factor for an arbitrarily located inner circumferential surface-crack in a cylinder subjected to axisymmetric bending loads

In this paper, the stress intensity factor for an inner circumferential surface crack in a hollow cylindrical shell under axisymmetric bending loads is studied. The closed-form equations of stress intensity factor and inclination angles at the cylinder edges were derived. These equations can appropriately evaluate the effects of cylinder length and crack location on the stress intensity factor. The validity of these equations was illustrated by comparing solutions with numerical ones. The results showed that the stress intensity factor increases as the cylinder length decreases, and as the crack gets near the cylinder edge. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.