A NUMERICAL-ANALYTICAL ALGORITHM FOR SOLVING CRACK PROBLEMS

An algorithm is proposed which uses the variational method of boundary elements and an analytic consideration of the singularities of the st ress field in the neighbourhood of the tip of the crack and makes use of a singular solution of the Lame equation. The formulation of the cr ack problem considered takes into account all types of strains: normal cleavage, and transverse and longitudinal shear. The specified vector of the normal stresses on the surface of the crack is represented in the form of the sum of a regular component and a singular component, d ue to the presence of a singular point-the tip of the crack, leading t o the presence of higher-order singularities of the stresses compared with existing algorithms.