A boundary element technique has been developed to analyze interface cracks in a layered solid. The loading applied on the solid may be tension, compression, shear, or an arbitrary combination of these. Crack surfaces may be open, closed, or partially open and partially closed. In all these cases, energy release rates can always be determined by using this technique. Crack-tip conditions are determined by an iterative procedure so that they themselves are parts of the solutions of a problem. The numerical technique is utilized to analyze subsurface interface cracks in a layered solid. Results are shown for various materials and under various loading conditions.
