THE MIXED-MODE CRACK PROBLEM IN A NONHOMOGENEOUS ELASTIC MEDIUM

A nonhomogeneous elastic medium containing a crack arbitrarily oriente d with respect to the direction of property gradient is considered. Th e problem is solved under plane strain or generalized plane stress con ditions. This is a highly simplified version of a class of physical pr oblems that may arise in fracture mechanics studies of ceramic coating s, metal/ceramic composites and interfacial zones with continuously va rying volume fractions or graded properties. The main results of the p aper are the calculated mode I and II stress intensity factors. Among the questions studied are the effects of the material nonhomogeneity c onstant, the crack orientation, the loading conditions and the Poisson 's ratio on the stress intensity factors. The stress state near the cr ack tip and the crack opening displacement are also briefly discussed.