Locating a straight crack in an infinite elastic medium by using complex path-independent integrals

Summary The Cauchy integral theorem and the relevant formula (or, equivalently, complex path-independent integrals) have been used in a long series of papers for the determination of zeros and poles of analytic and meromorphic functions. Here this approach is generalized to become applicable to the problem of location of a straight crack inside an infinite plane isotropic elastic medium. The complex path-independent integrals used here contain the first complex potential (z) of Kolosov-Muskhelishvili, which can be obtained experimentally. The present method can be modified to apply to a variety of problems where discontinuity intervals of analytic (or, rather, sectionally analytic) functions are sought.