Author(s)

S. Syngellakis & J. Wu

Abstract

Boundary element applications to polymer fracture S. Syngellakis & J . Wu School of Engineering Sciences, University of Southampton, U. K. Abstract This paper reports on applications of the boundary element method (BEM) to polymer fracture. Both Laplace transformed and time domain two-dimensional analyses, based on linear viscoelasticity, are developed and applied to centrecracked plates under tension in order to assess their relative accuracy and efficiency. The time dependence of stress intensity factors is assessed for various viscoelastic models as well as loading conditions. Various approaches for direct assessment of the energy release rate are proposed; its representation through path-independent J-type integrals is also explored. Systematic procedures for Jintegral evaluation are developed requiring the derivation of additional boundary integral equations for the displacement gradient distributions in the solid domain. The BEM formulation is extended to the determination of the energy d

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