ABSTRACT
A mathematical formulation of crack problems can be given within the framework of elasticity theory [20]. To gain some insight into the 3dimensional situation, the standard approach is to simplify the elasticity model by splitting it into two 2-dimensional in-plane and anti-plane models. This, however, leads to a loss of information concerning the 3-dimensional nature of the system. Motivated by this drawback, we introduce an intermediate 2.5-dimensional model instead of the splitting approach. Our model is a spatial one because it takes into account all 3 components of the displacement vector, and still it is formulated in a 2-dimensional domain.
