BEM implementation of the energy domain integral for the elastoplastic analysis of 3D fracture problems

An Elastoplastic Dual Boundary Element Method (EPDBEM) for the evaluation of the J-integral in three-dimensional fracture problems is presented in this paper. The point-wise J-integral is evaluated along crack fronts using the Energy Domain Integral (EDI) methodology. The domain expression of the EDI is naturally compatible with the EPDBEM, allowing to embed the computation of the J-integral within the boundary element formulation in such a way that it only accounts for a small additional computational effort. The accuracy of the proposed formulation is demonstrated by solving problems with straight and curved crack fronts.