Analysis of Orthotropic Materials with Crack
The objective of this work is to develop the capability to analyze accurately the mixed-mode propagation of a crack in composite structures with elastic orthotropic material stiffness properties and anisotropic material strength characteristics. We employ the normal stress ratio theory to predict the direction of crack extension. It is shown that the angle of crack extension can be altered by the use of second order term in the series expansion is important for the accurate determination of crack growth direction.