Invariant Points on Energy Contours Around a Crack Tip Under Mixed Mode Loading

The locus of points around a crack tip where the strain energy density is set equal to a critical value reveals interesting features. It is seen that, for certain cases, two points on this locus remain invariant with respect to the phase of the applied loads. The existence of these invariant points is examined for different configurations - a crack in a homogeneous isotropic medium, an interface crack and an inclined interface crack. This analysis is extended to the two components of strain energy density – volumetric (VSED) and distortional (DSED). This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.