Abstract:Crack closure in brittle materials subjected to compressive-shear loading is studied to gain insight into compressive-shear failure mechanism. An analytical wing crack model for the stress intensity factors is developed in the light of superimposition principle. The model can be successfully used to predict out-of-plane initiation and extension. Comparison shows that theKⅠvalues at wing crack tips obtained by the present method agree well with the exact solution proposed by Horii and Nemat-Nasser. The comparison with other approximate model is also given.

Key words: crack closure　compressive-shear loading　stress intensity factor