Analysis of rectangular cracks in elastic bodies

Abstract The solution of Volterra dislocation is derived in an infinite elastic body. Stress components are Cauchy singular at dislocation location. The stress field is utilized to construct integral equations for rectangular cracks with arbitrary arrangement in the body. The solution to integral equations is used to determine stress intensity factors on the crack edges. Numerical results are presented for a rectangular crack under various loads. Furthermore, interaction between two cracks, having a line of symmetry, is studied.