Antiplane point load solution for a linear slot with rounded ends

An exact linear elastic solution is derived for a pair of opposing point loads, which act in the middle of a straight slot having rounded ends. This problem is analogous to the mode III crack problem where two concentrated forces act in opposite directions to open the surfaces of a finite-length crack. The corresponding path independent J integral for this slot problem is also determined.

Similarities between mode III crack growth patterns and strike-slip faults

Why are strike slip faults not perfectly linear but made of successive segments? Are they reminiscences of the fracture of an initially sound crust by the bottom-up propagation of a crack subjected to mode III loading? The plausibility of this newly proposed scenario will be investigated here through model experiments and some theoretical explanations in the framework of brittle fracture. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Statistical physics of fracture and earthquakes’.