Performance of traction-singular boundary elements in analysing fracture process in transient quasistatic environments Original Research Article

The performance of singular crack elements including the behavior of associated field derivatives dealing with multiple cracking in composite thick walled cylinders subjected to blasting is investigated. Transient opening mode thermal stress intensity factors of multiple radial cracks emanating from the bore of autofrettaged, internally plated, thick-walled cylinders, subjected to thermal shock and internal pressurization, are evaluated. Quasistatic thermoelasticity problem is solved using the well-known boundary-only element method, in conjunction with the subregion technique, whereas the singular behavior of temperature/displacement and flux/stress fields in the vicinity of the crack-tip is modeled through the traction-singular quarter-point element. Results obtained during thermomechanical shocks in chromium-plated composite tubes, illustrate the considerable influence of the plating thickness as well as the autofrettage process on thermal stress intensity factors.