Application of Fracture Mechanics to Anisotropic Plates

Abstract

The conditions necessary for the application of fracture mechanics to anisotropic materials were examined and verified experimentally on orthotropic plates. It was observed that crack extension, by opening and forward sliding, occurred independently and the associated stress-intensity factors at the state of incipient fracture are material constants. An empirical relation (k1/k1c) + (k2/k2c)2 = 1 was found to be a fracture criterion for both balsa wood and fiber-glass-reinforced plastic plates, inferring the existence of a general law of fracture for orthotropic materials.