The steady state thermoelastic boundary element approach is extended to accommodate mixed-type boundary conditions in two-dimensional domains which may be definite functions of some global variables. This technique is applied to fractured gear teeth in order to evaluate numerically the fracture characterizing parameters. Singular crack elements in conjunction with multidomain formulation are utilized for the computation of mode I and II stress intensity factors. Results are given for some severe crack orientations with respect to crack depth and gear geometry. The present results are very close to those obtained by the finite element method. The influence of heat convection characteristics and mechanical loading conditions are also examined. Stress intensity factors are evaluated for a wide range of operating parameters useful for design purposes.
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