The distribution of stress in the neighbourhood of a crack in an elastic solid

Abstract The distribution of stress produced in the interior of an elastic solid by the opening of an internal crack under the action of pressure applied to its surface is considered. The analysis is given for ‘Griffith’ cracks (§2) and for circular cracks (§3), it being assumed in the latter case that the applied pressure varies over the surface of the crack. For both types of crack the case in which the pressure is constant over the entire crack surface is considered in some detail, the stress components being tabulated and the distribution of stress shown graphically. The effect of a crack (of either type) on the stress produced in an elastic body by a uniform tensile stress is considered and the conditions for rupture deduced.