Dynamic mode III fracture in viscoelastic media

spectral scheme for viscoelastodynamic fracture problems in anti-plane shear (mode III) loading conditions is presented. The numerical method is based on a spectral representation of the exact viscoelastodynamic relations between tractions and displacement discontinuities along the fracture plane. It allows for a precise and efficient investigation of dynamically loaded stationary or propagating cracks or faults in a viscoelastic medium, and incorporates a wide range of cohesive models used to characterize the failure process in the vicinity of the propagating crack tip. Various viscoelastodynamic fracture problems involving stationary and moving cracks are presented and contrasted with their elastic counterparts. © 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.