Interface crack extension at any constant speed in orthotropic or transversely isotropic bimaterials<f>––</f>I. General exact solutions

A semi-infinite crack along the interface of two dissimilar half-spaces extends under in-plane loading. Each half-space belongs to a class of orthotropic or transversely isotropic elastic materials, the crack can extend at any constant speed, and all six possible relations between the four body wave speeds are considered. A steady dynamic situation is treated, and exact full displacement fields derived. A key step is a factorization that produces, despite anisotropy, simple solution forms and compact crack speed-dependent functions that exhibit the Rayleigh and Stoneley speeds as roots. These roots are calculated for various representative bimaterials.Closed-form crack opening displacement gradient and interface stress fields are also derived from a general set of coupled singular integral equations. The equation eigenvalues can, depending on crack speed, be complex/imaginary conjugates, purely real, or zero. This suggests possibilities observed in other studies: oscillations and square-root singular behavior at the crack edge, non-singular behavior, singular behavior not of square-root order, and the radiation of displacement gradient discontinuities at crack speeds beyond the purely sub-sonic range.These possibilities are explored further in terms of two important special cases in Part II of this study [Int. J. Solids Struct., 39, 1183–1198]. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]