An adaptive finite element framework for fatigue crack propagation

A new nite element (FE) framework for fatigue crack propagation (FCP) analysis is proposed. This framework combines the simplicity of standard industrial FCP analysis with the generality and accuracy of a full FE analysis and can be implemented on a small computer by combining standard existing computational tools. In this way it constitutes an attractive alternative to existing approaches. The framework is based on linear elastic fracture mechanics and on FE mesh adaptation. Some novel features are introduced in several of its steps in order to make it e cient and at the same time reasonably accurate. Various computational aspects of the scheme are discussed. A few two-dimensional numerical examples involving FCP in thin sheets under plane-stress conditions are presented to demonstrate the performance of the framework. Some of the numerical results are compared to those of laboratory experiments