Abstract
In this paper two kinds of singular functions are derived to analyze bending problems of plates with cracks. Assume that an infinite thin elastic plate lies on the xy plane and that the plate contains a crack of length 2a along the y-axis and are loaded on the crack surfaces only. One of the singular functions W1 (x, y, a) is a deflection function in which the slope dW/dx is discontinuous on the crack opening line (-a, a) and deflection, bending moments and shearing forces are continuous. Another is the deflection W2 (x, y, a) of the plate which is discontinuous only on the crack opening. Substituting arbiterary values aj into a of the singular functions and superposing these functions, practical cracks in the plate are realized.
