Analysis of cracked plates using an iterative hybrid technique of boundary element method and distributed dislocation method

An iterative hybrid technique of boundary element method (BEM) and distributed dislocation method (DDM) is introduced for solving two dimensional crack problems. The technique decomposes the problem into (n + 1) subsidiary problems where n is the number of crack branches. The required solution will be the sum of these (n + I) solutions. The first subsidiary problem is to find the stress distribution induced in the plate in the absence of the crack using BEM. All of the remaining subsidiary problems, are stress disturbance ones that will be solved using DDM. The results will be added and compared with the boundary conditions of the original problem. Iteration will be performed between the plate boundaries and crack faces until all of the boundary conditions are satisfied. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.