FRACTURE-MECHANICS OF ORTHOTROPIC LAMINATED PLATES .2. THE PLANE-STRAIN CRACK PROBLEM FOR 2 BONDED ORTHOTROPIC LAYERS

In this paper the plane strain problem for two bonded orthotropic laye rs containing a crack perpendicular to the laminate surfaces is consid ered. After deriving the integral equation for the general problem, th e solution is obtained for three main crack geometries, namely an embe dded crack, a surface crack and a crack terminating at the interface u nder a remotely applied membrane load or bending moment. For the crack terminating at the interface the necessary asymptotic analysis is car ried out, the characteristic equation to determine the power of stress singularity beta is obtained, and the influence of the material param eters on beta is examined. The main results given in the paper consist of the stress intensity factors obtained for various crack geometries , material combinations and loading conditions.