PLANE PROBLEM OF MACRO-MICROCRACK INTERACTION TAKING ACCOUNT OF CRACKCLOSURE

The fracture stability of a macrocrack under the tensile and shear loa ding in the presence of a system of microcracks is analysed. Interacti on of cracks leads to full or partial closure of the crack edges. The boundary problem is formulated and a solution is obtained by the small . parameter method. Domains where microcracks are closed, and regions where microcracks cause full or partial closure of the macrocrack are found. The influence of crack contact on the stress intensity coeffici ent is analysed under the friction free assumption. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd