This paper presents a formulation for brittle fracture in 3D elastic solids within the context of configurational mechanics. The local form of the first law of thermodynamics provides a condition for equilibrium of the crack front. The direction of the crack propagation is shown to be given by the direction of the configurational forces on the crack front that maximise the local dissipation. Th...

A three-dimensional extended finite element method (X-FEM) coupled with a narrow band fast marching method (FMM) is developed and implemented in the Abaqus finite element package for curvilinear fatigue crack growth and life prediction analysis of metallic structures. Given the level set representation of arbitrary crack geometry, the narrow band FMM provides an efficient way to update the leve...

The present work investigates the effect of the elliptical three-dimensional (3D) cracks on a pipe with thickness transition, considering internal pressure. Level sets were defined using the extended finite element method (XFEM), the stress intensity factors (SIFs) of 3D cracks were investigated and compared between straight pipes and pipes with thickness transition. The results show that the X...

The solution of three-dimensional cracks (arbitrary surfaces of discontinuity) in solids and structures is considered. The BEM, developed based on the symmetric Galerkin BIEs, is used for obtaining the fracture solutions at the arbitrary crack-front. The finite element method is used to model the uncracked global (built-up) structure for obtaining the stresses in an otherwise uncracked body. Th...

The SGBEM-FEM alternating method is compared with the recently popularized XFEM, for analyzing mixed-mode fracture and fatigue growth of 3D nonplanar cracks in complex solid and structural geometries. A large set of 3D examples with different degrees of complexity is analyzed by the SGBEM-FEM alternating method, and the numerical results are compared with those obtained by XFEM available in the...

Monotonic, multi-step and cyclic short beam shear tests were conducted on 2D and 3D woven composites. The test results were used to determine the effect of z-yarns on the inter-laminar shear strength as well as the multi-loading behavior. The presence of z-yarns was found to affect not only the inter-laminar shear strength of the composite but also the behavior of the composite beyond the elast...

In 2004, a team comprised of researchers and service providers launched the Safer Crack Use, Outreach, Research and Education (SCORE) project in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The project was aimed at developing a better understanding of the harms associated with crack cocaine smoking and determining the feasibility of introducing specific harm reduction strategie...