Elastic compliances of the "zigzag" and intergranular cracks.

Estimates of compliance contributions of 2-D cracks of complex shapes (such as multilink zigzags or curved shapes) observed in brittle materials are suggested. The effects of several geometric factors are clarified. The problem of quantitative characterization of density of such cracks (the identification of the crack density parameter, to be used in the effective media models) is addressed. Applications to intergranular cracks is considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]