EXTENSION OF A CRACK DUE TO PLANE SH WAVE IN A PRESTRESSED INFINITE ELASTIC MEDIUM

The problem of extension of an infinitesimal flaw into a plane crack d ue to two linearly varying plane SH-waves with non-parallel wave front s in an infinite elastic medium which is initially in a state of unifo rm anti-plane shear, has been considered. Fracture is assumed to initi ate at a point a finite time after the waves intersect there. The crac k is assumed to extend non-symmetrically along the trace of the wave i ntersection. The method of analysis is based on the observation that c ertain field quantities show dynamic similarity. The results include e xpressions for the stress intensity factors at the crack tips and the rate of energy flux into the crack edges. Numerical calculations are c arried out to obtain stress intensity factors and the rate of energy f lux into the crack tips for different values of the parameters.