DefinePK

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to propose and investigate the feasibility of using multiple element types in a single model, termed element mismatch, for a three-dimensional semi-elliptical crack problem. The purpose behind the exploration of this method is to ease the meshing process in complex models. Multiple semi-elliptical surface crack in tension models were created with single element mesh and multi-element meshes with different mesh densities. It was found that the element mismatch models developed a consistent stress intensity factor for all the applied loading and geometries. When compared to the single element type models, the computation times were found to be significantly lower for the element mismatch models and the results were largely independent of mesh density.