The advanced simulation of fatigue crack growth in complex 3D structures

An advanced incremental crack growth algorithm for the three-dimensional (3D) simulation of fatigue crack growth in complex 3D structures with linear elastic material behavior is presented. To perform the crack growth simulation as effectively as possible an accurate stress analysis is done by the boundary-element method (BEM) in terms of the 3D dual BEM. The question concerning a reliable 3D crack growth criterion is answered based on experimental observations. All criteria under consideration are numerically realized by a predictor–corrector procedure. The agreement between numerically determined and experimentally observed crack fronts will be shown on both fracture specimens and an industrial application.