STRESS INTENSITY FACTORS FOR EXTERNAL SEMIELLIPTIC SURFACE CRACKS IN PRESSURIZED THICK-WALLED CYLINDERS USING THE HYBRID BOUNDARY-ELEMENT METHOD

The purpose of this paper is to present a comprehensive range of resul ts for mode I stress intensity factors of external surface cracks in i nternally pressurized thick-walled cylinders. The hybrid boundary elem ent method which is reviewed is used to calculate the stress intensity factors. The analysed ratios of crack depth to wall thickness ranged from 0.2 to 0.8; the ratios of crack depth to crack length ranged from 0.25 to 1.0; the ratios of wall thickness to cylinder radius were 0.5 , 1 0 and 2.0. For crack configurations t/R(i) = 0.5, bla = 1.0, b/t.= 0.6 and 0.8, the maximum difference between Atluri and Kathiresan's r esults obtained by the displacement hybrid finite element method and t he present one is about 15.0%.