Crack analysis in ductile cylindrical shells using Gursonʹs model

Damage evolution in cracked cylindrical shells subjected to uniform pressure is numerically simulated using finite 3D-continuum elements. The ductile material behaviour of mild steel is described in terms of the Gurson damage model. To represent the stress and damage distribution across the wall thickness, three element layers normal to the shell surface were used. The description of finite plasticity is based on the multiplicative split of the deformation gradient. The numerical method is applied to investigate damage evolution, crack initiation and growth in a tube under pressure containing an axial and a circumferential through-crack.