Crack tip opening determination for a crack terminating at the bimaterial interface

In the paper the method suggested by Irwin for the crack tip opening displacement (CTOD) determination in homogeneous materials is generalized and the analytical expression for the CTOD in the case of a crack with its tip at the interface of two different materials is presented. The obtained results are used to formulate the condition of stability of a crack terminating at the interface. The suggested method is applied herein on the critical stress calculation in a case of the through-cracked protective coating. The numerical calculations are performed by finite element method (system ANSYS