Thermoelastic crack analysis in shells considering higher-order shear deformation theory

Crack growth in thin-walled structures subjected to thermal loading is a critical issue in high-tech applications. This study investigates dynamic crack propagation in shell structures under generalized thermal shock, according to the Lord–Shulman (LS) model, implementing the third-order shear deformation theory. A computational framework, using the extended finite element method and the generalized-α scheme, employs an enhanced interaction integral to extract mixed-mode stress intensity factors (SIFs), in which a generalized formulation is proposed for dynamic SIF evaluation in thermoelastic shells. In addition, a crack growth criterion that incorporates both membrane and bending stresses is implemented. In results, the effect of the thermal wave speed on the crack growth speed and the crack trajectory is discussed numerically. According to results, the average speed of the crack propagation under LS thermal shock is higher than that based on the classic thermoelasticity, while the maximum crack speed under classic shock might be greater.