EFFECTIVE STRESS INTENSITY FACTOR AND CONTACT STRESS FOR A PARTIALLY CLOSED GRIFFITH CRACK IN BENDING

A method based on the weight function for solving the problem of parti ally closed cracks is proposed. An explicit exact expression for the e ffective stress intensity factor and an approximate analytical express ion for the contact stress was determined for the Griffith crack in be nding. The solution was obtained without the evaluation of displacemen t. The method requires modest computational resources and it can be em ployed also in the study of more complex problems having practical rel evance. By means of the obtained results the effect of closure on the effective stress intensity factor was accurately determined and it was shown that, in many circumstances, a simplified linear approach (not including the effect of contact) is not adequate. Copyright (C) 1996 E lsevier Science Ltd