Author(s)

D.P. Rooke

Abstract

Cracks pose special problems in structural analysis. Because of the complexity of engineering structures numerical analyses are invariably required. The presence of cracks can introduce singularities in the numerical modelling in addition to those in the linear elastic stress fields. Special techniques are needed to cope with these. Some of these techniques are described and some particular structural applications identified. 1 Introduction Cracks are boundaries. In structures they invariably grow from one boundary towards another. Indeed, structural failure is commonly defined as the linking of two boundaries by a crack. Both the rate of growth and the direction are influenced by the proximity of boundaries. These physical observations point to the need for procedures of analysis that can accurately model the boundaries in fracture mechanics applications. In general the complexity

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