Dynamic Crack Growth along Interfaces

For remotely loaded cracks in isotropic elastic solids, the energy flux into the crack tip vanishes as the crack speed increases to the Rayleigh wave speed of the material, see [1]. However, theoretical and numerical studies dating back to the mid 1970’s, e.g. Andrews [2], Burridge et al. [3] and Broberg [4, 5], have indicated that faster crack speeds should be possible under shear loading conditions