Assessment of the Stability of a Surface Crack in Laminates

The critical configuration of a crack arrested at a bimaterial interface is estimated. The stability of the crack in the soft material, whose front is situated at the interface between soft and stiff materials and who grows continuously sideways, is analyzed. A laminate with an ABAB structure containing a surface crack is considered in this study. The effective value of the stress intensity factor for the central segment of the crack front lying...