3-DIMENSIONAL DAMAGE THEORY OF CRACK-GROWTH IN LARGE CENTER-CRACKED PANELS USING THE ELEMENT REMOVAL TECHNIQUE

The conventional use of continuum ductile damage mechanics in finite e lement analysis identifies the crack tip or crack front by some criter ion which, on the basis of developing parameters, deems a certain regi on to be cracked. In the region deemed to be cracked there is thus onl y a reduction in stresses, which thereafter falls continually. This pa per incorporates in the damage model for both two and three dimensions , a facility which enables elements to be 'switched off' behind the pr edicted crack front so that the stresses there are zero. A three-dimen sional finite element analysis using this element removal scheme is pe rformed to predict the deformation of centre-cracked panels under unia xial and equibiaxial loading and to study the applicability of this sc heme. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science S.A.