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CHAPTER 4. FEM SOFTWARE

Figure 4.3: Plate first 10 mode shapes.

Stress intensity factor for a center-cracked plate

Stress intensity factor controles the stress state near the tip of a crack caused by a remote
load. For a center-cracked plate loaded in mode I, Figure 4.8, the value of the stress intensity
factor is dependent from the load applied (), the crack length (2a)and from plate geometry
(Y ). This value is obtained by the following expression, [18]:

KI = Y a

(4.1)

When the plate has infinite dimensions, [18] Y = 1 and eq. 4.1 becomes

KI = a

(4.2)