Bifurcation or Skew of a Rapidly Propagating Crack : Case of Mode III Crack

抄録

In this paper a transient elastodynamic analysis of the stress intensity factors at the propagating tips of both a bifurcating crack and a skew one is presented. In the method of solution, the stress field in the vicinity of the crack tip is analyzed under a peculiar loading which makes the antiplane displacement self-similar, and then the result is used to know the stress intensity factors for the case that a branching or a skew actually occurs. Then, on the assumption that the crack propagates in a direction which maximizes the total energy released in a unit time, the angle and the velocity of the bifurcating or the skew crack are determined. In the present treatment the considerations are restricted to the case of antiplane shear.