Mode II Macrocrack Initiation in Orthotropic Composite Viscoelastic Plate

Safe loads and initiation time for a straight macrocrack in viscoelastic orthotropic material that is intended to model a fiber composite plate under shear loads is investigated. The composite material is modeled by viscoelastic orthotropic medium. Determination of expression for crack shear displacement as function of time is based on the corresponding elastic solution and the method of operator continued fractions. Initiation time is obtained as a solution of integral equation for the incubation period. Numerical calculations are given for mode II macrocrack initiation.