An alternative BEM for Fracture Mechanics

An alternative single domain boundary element formulation and its numerical implementation are presented for the analysis of two-dimensional cracked bodies. The problem is formulated employing the classical displacement boundary integral representation and a novel integral equation based on the stress or Airy’s function. This integral equation written on the crack provides the relations needed to determine the problem solution in the framework of linear elastic fracture mechanics. Results are presented for typical problems in terms of stress intensity factors and they show the accuracy and efficiency of the approach.