@Article{cmes.2020.08847,
AUTHOR = {Kei Saito, Tei Hirashima, Ninshu Ma, Hidekazu Murakawa},
TITLE = {Characteristic Tensor for Evaluation of Singular Stress Field  Under Mixed-Mode Loadings},
JOURNAL = {Computer Modeling in Engineering \& Sciences},
VOLUME = {122},
YEAR = {2020},
NUMBER = {2},
PAGES = {415--432},
URL = {http://www.techscience.com/CMES/v122n2/38307},
ISSN = {1526-1506},
ABSTRACT = {A characteristic tensor is defined using stress tensor averaged in a small 
circular domain at the crack tip and multiplied by the root of domain radius. It possesses
the original stress tensor characteristics and has a simple relationship with conventional 
fracture-mechanics parameters. Therefore, it can be used to estimate stress intensity 
factors (SIFs) for cracks of arbitrary shape subjected to multiaxial stress loads. A 
characteristic tensor can also be used to estimate SIFs for kinked cracks. This study 
examines the relation between a characteristic tensor and SIFs to demonstrate the 
correlation between the characteristic tensor and fracture-mechanics parameters. 
Consequently, a single straight crack and a kinked crack of finite length existing in a twodimensional, infinite isotropic elastic body in a plane stress state, were considered to 
investigate the properties of the characteristic tensor under mixed-mode loadings. To 
demonstrate the practical utility of the characteristic tensor, the stress distribution 
obtained through finite element analysis (FEA) was used to estimate mixed-mode SIFs, 
and the values of estimated SIFs were compared with those obtained using an analytical 
solution. Results demonstrate that SIFs estimated under mixed-mode loadings exhibit a
good agreement with the analytical values. This indicates that the proposed characteristictensor-based approach is effective in extracting features of singular stress fields at crack 
tips, and can be employed to estimate values of fracture-mechanics parameters, such as 
SIFs. Owing to its simplicity, the proposed approach can be easily incorporated in
commercial FE codes for practical applications to simulate the crack-growth problem 
under both static and dynamic loading scenarios. The excellent applicability of the 
characteristic tensor greatly contributes to efficiency of the design process in industries.},
DOI = {10.32604/cmes.2020.08847}
}