Crack Paralleling an Interface Between Dissimilar Materials

A crack paralleling a bonded plane interface between two dissimilar isotropic elastic solids is considered. When the distance of the crack from the interface is small compared to the crack length itself and to other length scales characterizing the geometry, a simple universal relation exists between the Mode I and Mode II stress intensity factors and the complex stress intensity factor associated with the corresponding problem for the crack lying on the interface. In other words, if the influence of external loading and geometry on the interface crack is known, then this information can immediately be used to generate the stress intensity factors for the sub-interface crack. Conditions for cracks to propagate near and parallel to, but not along, an interface are derived.