Interaction between Line Cracks in an Orthotropic Layer

We deal with the interaction between three coplanar Griffith cracks located symmetrically in the mid plane of an orthotropic layer of finite thickness 2h. The Fourier transform technique is used to reduce the elastostatic problem to the solution of a set of integral equations which have been solved by using the finite Hilbert transform technique and Cooke’s result. The analytical expressions for the stress intensity factors at the crack tips are obtained for large h. Numerical values of the interaction effect have been computed for and results show that interaction effects are either shielding or amplification depending on the location of each crack with respect to each other and crack tip spacing as well as the thickness of the layer.