Abstract
This paper describes a numerical procedure to model the crack front evolution of initially arbitrary shaped planar cracks in a three-dimensional solid. The influence of a bimaterial interface on the fracture path of a semi-elliptical surface crack in a three-dimensional structure is examined. The analysis is based on the assumption that fracture is controlled by small-scale yielding and linear elastic fracture mechanics. The finite element method and the crack-tip contour J-integral in a volume domain representation are utilized to calculate the crack front energy release rate. The computed values of the energy release rate are used with a crack-tip velocity growth law to model crack growth increment. The progress of the crack growth evolution is brought forward by successive iterations. Examples of computed crack evolution are given for an embedded circular crack, a semi-elliptical surface crack in a finite plate, and a configuration that defines an isotropic homogeneous material layer with a surface crack located between two material layers. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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