An automated method for the FE analysis of 3D cracks under mixed mode loading

Analysis of elliptic cracks under mixed mode loading is a challenging aspect of the design and life assessment of mechanical components. Nevertheless, perpetually increasing requirements in terms of safety and performance, demand an efficient procedure for accurate crack analysis. A computer program is developed in the scope of the current project, aiming to address both efficiency and accuracy of analysis. The program is a plug-in to Abaqus finite element analysis program and automates significantly the modeling and analysis of stress intensity factors of elliptic cracks. Elliptic cracks are analyzed with FEM and XFEM, and several mesh configurations are compared. A visualization technique is proposed for representation of stress intensity factors and results from the analyses are stored in custom database, providing a foundation for accumulating a large knowledge base including all analyzed crack configurations. Results from the performed analyses prove that depending on the analysis type and mesh design, evaluated stress intensity factors may vary significantly.