Study of the Development of Cracks Accompanying Mechanical Loading of Solids

The formation of cracks in mechanically loaded insulators is accompanied by the generation of an electromagnetic field. Four basic processes of the crack's growth have been suggested based on the dipole model of a crack. A differential equation describing the transformation of the crack's primary parameters into a measurable electric signal has been derived for each of the four cases. Thus obtained theoretical curves have been compared with the experimental ones. Based on the comparison, some primary parameters of the crack have been determined.