Details of the integral equation method applied to the analysis of an adhesive layer crack (Q1282684)

We examine numerically the mathematical model for a crack in an elastic adhesive layer sandwiched between two adherends proposed by \textit{N. A. Fleck} et al. [ibid. 27, No. 13, 1683-1703 (1991)]. The elastic mismatch between the adhesive and adherend materials modifies the far-field values of the stress intensity factors and of the T-stress in a manner that depends on the position of the crack inside the layer and on the Dundurs parameters. A complex-potential stress-function formulation, using dislocation distributions represented by truncated Chebyshev series, provides an integral equation that we solve numerically by the method of collocations. The computational aspects of the solution are studied in detail using two programming languages. MATHCAD and C++, run on standard PC hardware.