T-stress solutions for two-dimensional crack problems in anisotropic elasticity using the boundary element method.

The importance of a two-parameter approach in the fracture mechanics analysis of many cracked components is increasingly being recognized in engineering industry. In addition to the stress intensity factor, the T stress is the second parameter considered in fracture assessments. In this paper, the path-independent mutual M- integral method to evaluate the T stress is extended to treat plane, generally anisotropic cracked bodies. It is implemented into the boundary element method for two-dimensional elasticity. Examples are presented to demonstrate the veracity of the formulations developed and its applicability. The numerical solutions obtained show that material anisotropy can have a significant effect on the T stress for a given cracked geometry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]