BOUNDARY-ELEMENT ANALYSIS OF CRACK INTERSECTION, INITIATION AND GROWTH AT PIN LOADED HOLES

The dual boundary element method for the analysis of cracks in linear elastic materials has been previously generalised by the authors to al low for automatic remeshing when crack tips intersect other cracks or boundaries, and initiation and growth of small cracks at positions of high stress concentration. The new cracks are assumed to result from s udden events such as an overload or the subsequent stress redistributi on when cracks intersect other cracks or holes. In this paper a crack at the edge of one hole in a row of pin-loaded holes is investigated; various values are considered for the stress at which new cracks may i nitiate. Two rows of aligned or staggered holes are examined also. The spacing between the holes was typical for lines of holes in overlap j oints in plates. For the same load transfer between the plates, new cr acks are initiated less readily and grow more slowly for a double row of aligned holes than for a single row or for staggered rows.