An efficient and accurate method for computation of energy release rates in beam structures with longitudinal cracks

This paper proposes a novel, efficient, and accurate framework for fracture analysis of beam structures with longitudinal cracks. The three-dimensional local stress field is determined using a high-fidelity beam model incorporating a finite element based cross section analysis tool. The Virtual Crack Closure Technique is used for computation of strain energy release rates. The devised framework was employed for analysis of cracks in beams with different cross section geometries. The results show that the accuracy of the proposed method is comparable to that of conventional three- dimensional solid finite element models while using only a fraction of the computation time. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.