Edge dislocations near to a cracked sliding interface were investigated. A continuous distribution of edge dislocations with their Burgers vector along the y-direction was used to simulate a crack of finite length along the sliding interface. The stress field in the entire space was deduced from the dislocation distribution. The stress intensity factors at both crack tips, and the image force on the edge dislocation, were derived. The effects of the dislocation source and shear modulus ratio upon both the stress intensity factors and the image force were also studied. Only mode-I stress intensity factors at each tip were found in a composite material with a sliding interface. Edge dislocations with their Burgers vector along the y-direction, which were emitted from the crack, always shielded it and hindered propagation. These results could be reduced to those for an edge dislocation near to a semi-infinite crack along a sliding interface; including a sliding grain boundary.

Edge Dislocations Near to a Cracked Sliding Interface. B.T.Chen, C.T.Hu, S.Lee: International Journal of Fracture, 1998, 91, 131-47