In the paper, material conservation laws associated with a consistent second-order plate theory are derived, which takes shear deformations and strains in thickness direction of the plate into account. Three path-independent integrals are established. In the presence of inhomogeneities in the material (e.g., defects or cracks), energy-release rates due to the change of the configuration of such flaws can be calculated by these integrals. The resulting material forces may serve to assess the reliability of structures with cracks.

Within the framework of a consistent second‐order plate theory, three material conservation laws are established, which are useful to describe the energy‐release rates and the material forces connected with the change of configuration of inhomogeneities or defects within the plate. (© 2005 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

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