Solution of Axi-Symmetric Crack Problems

The problems we have examined so far have all been two-dimensional in nature and concern cracks in solids in a state of plane stress or plane strain. Indeed, it is only for this class of problem that all of the additional extensions to the basic analysis, associated with kinks, crack closure, and the presence of interfaces, may be modelled in great detail. However, the class of two-dimensional problems is not restricted to the plane problems. In many situations where both geometry and loading possess axial symmetry, only two degrees of freedom, displacements in the axial and radial direction, are present. However, certain additional difficulties are encountered in the solution of axi-symmetric problems, which distinguish them from the plane case. Exactly what these difficulties are and how they may be overcome will become clear in the course of this chapter.