Development of a new semianalytical approach for 2D analysis of crack propagation problems.

Abstract: This study offers novel progresses for a semianalytical method to simulate 2D propagation of cracks based on linear elastic fracture mechanics. For this purpose, a new algorithm is proposed on the basis of the linear elastic fracture mechanics for crack propagation in single‐mode and mixed mode. Herein, discretization is only performed on the boundaries of the problem by using specific subparametric elements and higher‐order Chebyshev polynomials as mapping functions. Implementing the weighted residual method and by taking Clenshaw‐Curtis numerical quadrature, diagonal Euler's differential equations are obtained. Consequently, once the local coordinate origin is assumed at the tip of the crack, the stress intensity factors can be derived directly. In accordance with the rate of maximum energy release as a propagation criterion and by proposing a new quasi‐automatic remeshing procedure based on domain division, the crack propagation is applied here. Based on the new presented algorithm, application of the new semianalytical method to crack propagation analysis is more flexible and efficient. By taking this advantage, relatively coarse and simple discretization compared with other computational methods may be used. By modelling 4 benchmark problems with a few numbers of degrees of freedom, the validity and accuracy of the current method is illustrated. Results show that the presented algorithm is applicable for efficient and precise prediction of crack trajectories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]