Isogeometric boundary element methods for three dimensional fatigue crack growth

The isogeometric boundary element method (IGABEM) based on NURBS is adopted to model fracture problem in 3D. The NURBS basis functions are used in both crack representation and physical quantity approximation. A stable quadrature scheme for singular integration is proposed to enhance the robustness of the method in dealing with highly distorted element. The convergence study in crack opening displacement is performed for penny-shaped crack and elliptical crack. Two ways to extract stress intensity factors (SIFs), the contour $M$ integral and virtual crack closure integral, are implemented based on the framework of dual integral equations. An algorithm is outlined and validated to be stable for fatigue crack growth, thanks to the smoothness not only in crack geometry but also in stress/SIFs solution brought by IGABEM