Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2003/iii/paper-78/4/i/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2003 iii Paper 78 4 i Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Let denote the signed opening, positive when the faces separate, and let be the crack surface. Its displacement jump is . The singular strain associated with this jump has moment density . For the isotropic elastic stiffness tensor, contraction givesThe equivalent distributional body force is the negative divergence of this prescribed moment density:The resulting forced elastic wave in an isotropic solid equation is . This is a tensile-crack seismic source; it need not be represented as an ordinary smooth volume force. For a small nearly planar patch of area , uniform normal and opening , define its volume change . Its seismic moment tensor and point-source force areThe sign convention makes a positive opening a positive extensional moment. Reversing the convention for the displacement jump changes both signs together; the force is independent of reversing the orientation of the crack normal.
New to topics? Read the docs here!