On the method of caustics: An exact analysis based on geometrical optics

The method of caustics, as developed and applied to fracture mechanics over the last twenty years, contains several approximations which limit its applicability. In this paper the development of caustics is reviewed and the implicit assumptions made in the past are clarified and discussed. The exact equations are derived for caustics formed by the reflection of light from a general surface. In addition, the conditions for the formation of a caustic curve are derived and explained in detail. Numerically generated shadow spots are given for the case of light reflected from a surface deformed due to the presence of a plane stress, mode-I, elastic crack. Attention is focused on the near tip region where severe deformation gradients violate the assumptions made by previous approximate analyses. The results demonstrate significant deviation from the approximate analyses resulting in errors as large as 15% in the determination of the stress intensity factor from shadow spot measurements.