A Virtual Crack Closure-Integral Method (VCCM) for three-dimensional crack problems using linear tetrahedral finite elements

In this paper, a three-dimensional VCCM (Virtual Crack Closure-Integral Method) for evaluating the energy release rate and the stress intensity factor is presented. Many engineers and researchers believe that hexahedral finite elements should be used to perforin three-dimensional fracture analyses. Previous VCCM formulations assume the use of hexahedral finite elements. In present study, the authors have been developing a VCCM that works with tetrahedral finite elements. In the field of large-scale computation, the use of tetrahedral finite elements has becoming very popular as high performance mesh generation programs became available. Therefore, building a large and complex analysis model with hexahedral finite elements is a much more difficult task than with tetrahedral elements. The outcomes of present research would make three-dimensional fracture mechanics analysis on complex shaped solid/structure a tractable task to do. In this paper, some preliminary results are presented.