Cracking of a Graded Half Plane Due to Sliding Contact

In this report the initiation and subcritical growth of surface cracks in graded materials due to sliding contact are considered. After a brief introduction the general coupled crackcontact problem for a semi-infinite graded medium subjected to a sliding rigid stamp of arbitrary profile is formulated. Solving the problem in the absence of any cracks, the complete stress state on the surface of the medium is evaluated and critical stress that would cause surface crack initiation is identified. The coupled problem is then solved, stress intensity factors are calculated and some results are presented.