Automated System for Analyzing Stress Intensity Factors of Three-Dimensional Cracks: Its Application to Analyses of Two Dissimilar Semi-Elliptical Surface Cracks in Plate

This paper describes a new automated system for analyzing the stress intensity factors (SIFs) of three-dimensional cracks. A geometry model containing one or several three-dimensional cracks is defined using a commercial CAD system, DESIGNBASE. Several local distributions of node density are chosen from the database of the present system, and then automatically superposed on one another over the geometry model by using the fuzzy knowledge processing. Nodes are generated by the bucketing method, and ten-noded quadratic tetrahedral solid elements are generated by the Delaunay method. A user imposes material properties and boundary conditions onto parts of the geometry model such as loops and edges by clicking them with a mouse and by inputting values. For accurate analyses of the stress intensity factors, finer elements are generated in the vicinity of crack tips, thanks to the fuzzy knowledge processing. The singular elements such that the midpoint nodes near crack front are shifted at the quarter-points are automatically placed along the three-dimensional crack front. The complete finite element model generated is given to a commercial finite element code, MARC, and a stress analysis is performed. The stress intensity factors are calculated using the displacement extrapolation method. To demonstrate practical performances of the present system, two dissimilar semi-elliptical surface cracks in a plate subjected to uniform tension are solved, and their interaction effects are discussed in detail. It is shown from the results that ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, Section XI, Appendix A gives a conservative stress intensity factor for two identical adjacent surface cracks and for two dissimilar adjacent surface cracks.