Three-dimensional weight function analyses and stress intensity factors for two eccentric and asymmetric surface cracks and surface-corner cracks at a circular hole

Stress intensity factors (SIFs) of two eccentric and asymmetric surface cracks and surface-corner cracks at a hole are rare in the literature, since the problem is too complicated to be tackled by analytical methods and too costly by numerical approaches. A 3D slice synthesis weight function method (SSWFM) is developed to compute their 3D SIFs. The results agree well with those from finite element method (FEM). The SSWFM is about 450 times faster in calculation of the SIFs than FEM/Franc3D, and is very useful for 3D fatigue crack growth analyses of complicated surface and corner cracks at a hole.

Automated summary

This paper presents a method for calculating stress intensity factors (SIFs) of eccentric and asymmetric surface cracks and surface-corner cracks at a hole. The method, called the 3D slice synthesis weight function method (SSWFM), provides fast and accurate computation of 3D SIFs, which is useful for analyzing fatigue crack growth in complex surface and corner cracks.