Statistics of Flaw Interaction in Brittle Materials

The problem of elastic interaction of an array of microcracks is considered. The solution is based on an efficient surface integral method using distribution of edge dislocations to represent the microcracks in the mathematical model. From the analysis of the interaction between two identical cracks, it is seen that interaction is most likely to produce a slight enhancement in the stress intensity factor. By performing computer experiments on a random array of microcracks, the effect of crack interaction is studied statistically as a function of the density of the microcracks. The significance of the interaction effects for fracture in ceramics is discussed.