Maximum circumferential stress criterion applied to orthotropic materials

The solution of the elastostatic problem of an orthotropic plate having a central inclined crack and subjected at infinity to a uniform biaxial load has been employed. It is assumed that the crack line does not coincide with an axis of elastic symmetry of the body. The original problem has been transformed with respect to the rotated system of coordinates which is proper of the crack. The effects of the rotation of the reference system on the stress-strain equations as well as on the equilibrium equations have been considered. The stress fields is represented in terms of two potential functions and the crack problem is solved by means of the superposition principle. The topic of the present paper is the extension of the Maximum Circumferential Tensile Stress Criterion to orthotropic materials, in order to obtain the crack initiation angle and the fracture loci, pointing out the effects of orthotropy, load biaxiality and non-singular terms.