Energy release rate approximation for small surface-breaking cracks using the topological derivative

The topological derivative provides the variation of a response functional when an infinitesimal hole of a particular shape is introduced at a point of the domain. In this fracture mechanics work we use the topological derivative to approximate the energy release rate field associated with a small crack at any boundary location and at any orientation. Our proposed method offers significant computational advantages over current finite element based methods since it requires a single analysis, whereas the others require a distinct analysis for each crack location–orientation combination. Moreover, the proposed method evaluates the topological derivative in the non-cracked domain which eliminates the need for tailored meshes in the crack region.