The formulation and computation of the nonlocal J-integral in bond-based peridynamics

This work presents a rigorous derivation for the formulation of the J-integral in bond-based peridynamics using the crack infinitesimal virtual extension approach. We give a detailed description of an algorithm for computing this nonlocal version of the J-integral. We present convergence studies (m-convergence and delta-convergence) for two different geometries: a single edge-notch configuration and a double edge-notch sample. We compare the results with results based on the classical J-integral and obtained from FEM calculations that employ special elements near the crack tip. We identify the size of the nonlocal region for which the peridynamic J-integral value is near the classical FEM solutions. We discuss how the boundary conditions and the peridynamic skin effect may influence the peridynamic J-integral value. We also observe, computationally, the path-independence of the peridynamic J-integral.