New Fredholm integral equation for multiple crack problem in plane elasticity and antiplane elasticity

A singular integral equation for the multiple crack problem of plane elasticity is formulated in this paper. In the formulation we choose the crack opening displacement (COD) as unknown function and the resultant force as the right hand term of the equation. After using Vekua's regularization procedure or making inversion of the Cauchy singular integral in the equation, a new Fredholm integral equation is obtainable. The obtained Fredholm integral equation is compact in form and easy for computation. After solving the equation, the CODs of the cracks and the stress intensity factors (SIFs) at the crack tips can be derived immediately. Similar formulation for the multiple crack problem of antiplane elasticity is also presented. Finally, numerical examples are given to demonstrate the use of the proposed integral equation approach.