On the near-tip fields for a crack dynamically growing along a curved path in an elastic solid (Q808844)

The problem on the near-tip fields for a crack dynamically growing along a curved path in an elastic solid is formulated on the basis of modern continuum theory. It is shown that the first two terms of the near-tip asymptotic solutions of \textit{T. Nishioka} and \textit{S. N. Atluri} [(*) Eng. Fracture Mech. 18, No.1, 1-22 (1983)] for a crack dynamically growing along a straight path are still valid for the crack curving problems, whereas the third term of the asymptotic solutions in (*) is no longer valid for crack curving. This result offers a theoretical basis for experimental and numerical studies of crack curving.