Boundary element simulation of fatigue crack growth in multi-site damage

This paper presents an efficient and automatic scheme for modelling the growth of multiple cracks through a two-dimensional domain under fatigue loading based on linear elastic fracture mechanics. The dual boundary element method is applied to perform an analysis of the cracked domain and the J-integral technique is used to compute stress intensity factors. Incremental crack propagation directions are evaluated using the maximum principal stress criterion and a combined predictor–corrector algorithm implemented for propagation angle and increment length. Criteria are presented to control the mesh used on the slower growing cracks in the domain, improving computational efficiency and accuracy by the use of virtual crack tips to avoid the need for severe mesh grading. Results are presented for several geometries with multi-site damage, and sensitivity to incremental crack length is investigated. The scheme demonstrates considerable advantages over the finite element method for this application due to simplicity of meshing, and over other boundary element formulations for modelling domains with large ranges of crack growth rates.