An Effective Numerical Approach for Multiple Void-Crack Interaction

This paper presents a numerical approach to modeling a general system containing multiple interacting cracks and voids in an infinite elastic plate under remote uniform stresses. By extending Bueckner’s principle suited for a crack to a general system containing multiple interacting cracks and voids, the original problem is divided into a homogeneous problem (the one without cracks and voids) subjected to remote loads and a multiple void-crack problem in an unloaded body with applied tractions on the surfaces of cracks and voids. Thus the results in terms of the stress intensity factors (SIFs) can be obtained by considering the latter problem, which is analyzed easily by means of the displacement discontinuity method with crack-tip elements (a boundary element method) proposed recently by the author. Test examples are included to illustrate that the numerical approach is very simple and effective for analyzing multiple crack/void problems in an infinite elastic plate. Specifically, the numerical approach is used to study the microdefect-finite main crack linear elastic interaction. In addition, complex crack problems in infinite/finite plate are examined to test further the accuracy and robustness of the boundary element method.