Analysis of rectangular cracks in elastic bodies

•The solution to Volterra dislocation is obtained in a 3-D elastic body.•The integral equations are derived for the analysis of rectangular cracks with arbitrary arrangement.•The solutions to singular integral equations are carried out numerically and results are employed to determine SIFs.

The solution of Volterra dislocation is derived in an infinite elastic body. Stress components are Cauchy singular at dislocation location. The stress field is utilized to construct integral equations for rectangular cracks with arbitrary arrangement in the body. The solution to integral equations is used to determine stress intensity factors on the crack edges. Numerical results are presented for a rectangular crack under various loads. Furthermore, interaction between two cracks, having a line of symmetry, is studied.