EXTENSION OF THE CONCEPT OF LIMIT LOADS FOR 3D CASES FOR A CENTRALLY CRACKED PLATE IN TENSION

In the paper, the verification of the limit load solutions for a centrally cracked plate under tension (CC(T)) is presented using FEM calculations. Numerical calculations and analysis of the obtained FEM results were used to recalculation of the existing limit load formulas proposed by EPRI procedures for plane strain and plane stress. After verification of the EPRI solutions, three dimensional FEM calculation was done to determine the limit loads for 3D cases of CC(T) specimens. The measurable effect of the paper is a catalogue of numerical solutions and their approximations, which may be useful in the engineering analysis