Four co-planar Griffith cracks in an infinite elastic medium

Abstract

The dynamic in-plane problem of determining the stress and displacement due to four co-planar Griffith cracks moving steadily at a subsonic speed in a fixed direction in an infinite, isotropic, homogeneous medium under normal stress has been treated. The static problem of determining the stress and displacement in an infinite isotropic elastic medium has also been considered. In both cases, employing the Fourier integral transform, the problems have been reduced to solving a set of five integral equations. These integral equations have been solved using the finite Hilbert transform technique to obtain the exact form of crack opening displacement and stress intensity factors which are presented in the form of graphs.