3-DIMENSIONAL CONTACT MECHANICS ANALYSIS OF CRACK PROBLEMS USING THE BOUNDARY-ELEMENT METHOD

In this paper, a formulation based on the iterative-load incremental approach for the three-dimensional frictional contact mechanics analysis of fracture problems using the boundary element method (BEM), is presented. Special crack front elements are employed to provide a quick and direct means of obtaining the stress intensity factor. The veracity of the formulation is demonstrated with four crack problems. Three of these problems involve crack closure under bending loads, and the fourth is that of a pin-loaded rectangular plate with corner cracks at the pin-hole. The computed BEM solutions are compared, where possible, with those available in the literature, and there is generally good agreement between them. The numerical examples serve also to illustrate the need for a proper contact mechanics treatment to obtain accurate stress intensity factors for such problems.