Fracture Mechanics of Tapered Cracks

The paper shows that for the Mode III loading of a tapered crack whose near tip profile is defined by the relation (y/c) = (x/c)^m, the singularity order of the stress field is −1/2, as it is for a linear crack, irrespective of the m value. This result is a generalization of the result reached in an earlier paper by the author, for the particular case m = 3/2. The result’s implications to the quantification of fracture initiation at the root of a Mode I crack are discussed.