Two parallel elliptical cracks in an infinite solid subjected to tension

This paper is concerned with the tension of an infinite solid containing two parallel elliptical cracks located in staggered positions. The analysis is based on the body force method, in which symmetric and antisymmetric type body forces are distributed over the crack surfaces and their densities are determined from the bondary conditions. Numerical calculations are performed for a wide range of the parameters, and the effects of the shapes and the relative locations of the cracks on the stress intensity factors are examined. Convenient empirical formulae of the stress intensity factors are also proposed for some important cases.