Three-dimensional interface cracks in anisotropic bimaterials: The non-oscillatory case

Two-dimensional interface cracks in anisotropic bimaterials have been studied extensively in the literature. However, solutions to three-dimensional interface cracks in anisotropic bimaterials are not available. In this paper, a penny-shaped crack on the interface between two anisotropic elastic half-spaces is considered. A formal solution is obtained by using the Stroh method in two-dimensional elasticity in conjunction with the Fourier transform method. Fracture mechanics parameters such as the stress intensity factor, crack-opening displacement, and energy release rate are obtained in terms of the interfacial matrix M. To illustrate the solution procedure, a circular delaminations in a unidirectional and a cross-ply composite are considered. Numerical results for the stress intensity factors and energy release rate along the crack front are presented.