7.2. Step 2: Define a Path Along the Crack Face

The first node on the path should be the crack-tip node. For a half-crack model, two additional nodes are required, both along the crack face. For a full-crack model, where both crack faces are included, four additional nodes are required: two along one crack face and two along the other.

Command(s): PATH (or PPATH)
GUI: Main Menu> General Postproc> Path Operations> Define Path

The following figure illustrates the two cases for a 2D model:

Figure 7.1: Typical Crack Face Path Definitions

Typical Crack Face Path Definitions 

(a) Half-crack model (b) Full-crack model