Dynamic Fracture

The analysis of crack systems considered so far concerned only quasi-static situations in which the kinetic energy is relatively insignificant compared with the other energy terms and can be omitted. The crack was assumed either to be stationary or to grow in a controlled stable manner, and the applied loads varied quite slowly. The present chapter is devoted entirely to dynamically loaded stationary or growing cracks. In such cases rapid motions are generated in the medium and inertia effects become important.