Characterization of strongly interacted multiple cracks in an infinite plate

Based on the Kachanov method and the alternating iteration technique, a new method is proposed to deal with the problem of the strongly interacted multiple cracks in an infinite plate. Unlike the Kachanov method which neglects the interaction of the tractions of the non-uniform components, the tractions of the non-uniform components on the surfaces of cracks are considered through the alternating technique. The accuracy and efficiency of present method are validated by comparing the results of two collinear and two parallel overlapped open the cracks obtained by the present method with those of the exact solutions, the results of the Kachanov method and the alternating iteration technique. Applications of present method in solving sliding close crack problems and evaluating the plastic zones demonstrate the versatility of present method.