Mixed-mode K-calculations in anisotropic materials

The crack tip stress singularities for anisotropic materials are derived using the finite difference method and they are compared to other derivations. Subsequently, these asymptotic fields are implemented into a local stress method, enabling the determination of the mixed-mode stress intensity factor distribution along an arbitrary crack in an anisotropic material. Comparison with the interaction integral method shows that the local method yields excellent results and exhibits a better robustness with respect to irregular meshes. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.