Interface crack-like shear that propagates in a brittle manner under compression – a mesoscopic model

An interface between brittle materials loaded remotely by applied uniform shear stress parallel to the interface plane and by a large enough pressure normal to that plane is considered. Non-uniform quasi-static shearing within such an interface is treated theoretically as a phenomenon that occurs analogously to propagation of a crack, when fracture is considered as a critical event. The treatment is based on what is known of the behavior of joints in brittle rocks. The theoretical results obtained are illustrated with calculations. Some possible real consequences of the non-uniform shear under consideration are discussed.