Stress Intensity Factor Analysis of a Crack on an Interface between Dissimilar Anisotropic Materials

Abstract

A new method is presented for stress intensity factor analysis of a crack between dissimilar anisotropic materials. The virtual crack extension method, which is used with the finite element method, is a powerful tool for estimation of the energy release rate. The virtual crack extension method is applied to stress intensity factor analyses of a crack between dissimilar anisotropic materials. The energy release rate obtained by the virtual crack extension method is separated into individual stress intensity factors, KI, KII and KIII, using the principle of superposition. We applied this method to a center interface crack between dissimilar jointed anisotropic plates. The results are compared with analytical solutions. It is found that the energy release rate and stress intensity factors obtained by the present method are very accurate and insensitive to the size of finite elements.