A simple solution for a crack reinforced by bands

Abstract

The paper represents a simple approximate solution for a crack reinforced by elastic bands (springs). The obtained results for the stress intensity factor are compared with the exact solutions for the case of infinitely rigid bands. The agreement is quite good and in view of its simplicity the proposed approach has some advantages when compared with the existing solutions. Finally, a modest experimental effort was undertaken to demonstrate qualitatively the validity of the numerical approach.