Stress intensity factors for curvilinear cracks loaded under anti-plane strain (mode III) conditions

The fracture of a linearly elastic solid containing a slightly curved crack and being loaded under antiplane strain conditions is studied. Both the internal shear stresses and the normal displacement represented by complex holomorphic functions are calculated using the technique of Hilbert problems and Cauchy integrals. Several examples for some specific loading configurations and crack geometries are presented. In general, the results indicate that only five independent stress intensity factors exist for the analysis of mixed-mode fracture under general loading conditions.