On Some Benchmark Results for the Interaction of a Crack With a Circular Inclusion

Stress intensity factor calculations for crack-inclusion interaction problems are presented. The problems considered include the benchmark problems first discussed by Helsing and Jonsson (2002, ASME J. Appl. Mech, 69, pp. 88–90), and subsequently by Wang, Mogilevskaya, and Crouch (2003, ASME J. Appl. Mech., 70, pp. 619–621). The numerical results are obtained using the symmetric-Galerkin boundary element method in conjunction with an improved quarter-point element for evaluating the stress intensity factors by means of the displacement correlation technique. The converged results confirm the accuracy of the previous simulations and demonstrate that accurate solutions for these interaction problems can be obtained with numerical methods that are applicable in three dimensions.