Influence of crack closure for geometrically nonlinear plates bending problem

Cracked plates subjected to large deformations are analysed using the finite element technique. An important aspect of the cracked plate problem subjected to bending is the crack closure which takes place in the compression zone. This has been considered in this investigation. The numerical results regarding SIF are presented for cracked plates with and without crack closure. The constraint condition is taken in the form of line closure. Total Lagrangian approach is used for the formulation of the problem. It is observed that there is significant nonlinearity in the case of large deformation and the reduction in SIF due to closure is more than in the case of linear analysis. © 1991.