A new singular integral equation for the classical crack problem in plane and antiplane elasticity

A new singular integral equation (with a kernel with a logarithmic singularity) is proposed for the crack problem inside an elastic medium under plane or antiplane conditions. In this equation the integral is considered in the sense of a finite-part integral of Hadamard because the unknown function presents singularities of order ?3/2 at the crack tips. The Galerkin and the collocation methods are proposed for the numerical solution of this equation and the determination of the values of the stress intensity factors at the crack tips and numerical results are presented. Finally, the advantages of this equation are also considered.