Slightly curved or kinked cracks in anisotropic elastic solids (Q1201526)

(From the authors' abstract.) Slightly curved or kinked cracks in anisotropic elastic solids are studied via a perturbation analysis valid for the second order accuracy in the deviation of the crack surfaces from a straight line. The analysis is based on complex variable representations in the Stroh formalism and known solutions for a perfectly straight reference crack. First and second order perturbation solutions are given for the stress intensity factors at the tip of a finite curved crack under remote stresses in a solid with arbitrary anisotropy, and are used to establish an approximate relationship between the apparent and local stress intensities at a crack tip, in view of the possible shielding effects of the crack surface morphology near the tip. The role of anisotropy is examined for a number of problems including circular arc cracks, slightly jogged or kinked cracks, cosine wavy cracks, etc.