A novel triangular boundary crack front element for 3D crack problems based on 8-node serendipity element

This paper developed a novel 6-node triangular boundary crack front element for 3D crack problems. The developed element method was constructed based on an 8-node serendipity element and a distance function that defines the distance from arbitrary point inside the element to the crack front. The specially constructed shape function captures the square-root asymptotic behavior of the distribution of the displacement nearby the crack front. In...