The interface crack subjected to a combined tension-compression and shear loading is considered in the Comninou formulation, which by properly incorporating contact zones at the crack tips avoids contradictions, such as overlapping of material. It is shown that the resulting integral equation can be solved exactly. Moreover, simple asymptotic — yet very accurate — formulae are derived for the quantities of major physical interest and a comparison made with the previous results given by Comninou.
The correct formulation of the interface crack must incorporate contact between the crack faces, because the tips of an interface crack are closed for all applied loads. A numerical solution of the resulting integral equation for an interface crack in a tension field was considered by Comninou several years ago. The present paper shows how to solve the integral equation exactly. The solution is found in the form of a slowly convergent series involving elliptic functions and it is demonstrated how to convert the results into a rapidly convergent series. Specifically, we give simple formulae valid over the entire range of the physical parameters for (1) the length of the contact zones, (2) the Mode II stress intensity factor, and (3) the finite but very large normal stress at the tip of the interface crack.
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