A general weight function for inclined kinked edge cracks in a semi-plane

A general method for evaluating the Stress Intensity Factors (SIFs) of an inclined kinked edge crack in a semi-plane is presented. An analytical Weight Function (WF) with a matrix structure was derived by extending a method developed for an inclined edge crack. The effects of the principal geometrical parameters governing the problem were studied through a parametric Finite Element (FE) analysis, carried out for different reference loading conditions. The WF can be used to produce efficient and accurate evaluations of the SIFs for cracks with initial inclination angle in the range −60° to +60° and kinked angle in the range from −90° to +90°. The agreement between the results with those obtained by accurate FE solutions suggests that the proposed WF can be used as a general tool for evaluating the fracture mechanics parameters of an inclined kinked crack.