The Problem of an External Circular Crack Under Asymmetric Loadings

Using the boundary integral equation method, the problem of an external circular crack in a three_dimensional infinite elastic body under asymmetric loadings is investigated. The two_dimensional singular boundary integral equations of the problem were reduced to a system of Abel integral equations by means of Fourier series and hypergeometric functions. The exact solutions of stress intensity factors are obtained for the problem of an external circular crack under asymmetric loadings, which are even more universal than the results obtained by the use of Hankel transform method. The results demonstrate that the boundary integral equation method has great potential as a new analytic method.