THE OPENING OF A PAIR OF COPLANAR GRIFFITH CRACKS UNDER INTERNAL PRESSURE

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Abstract
Liquid crystals consist of large, relatively rigid, rod-like molecules which give rise to a preferred direction. The orientation of this preferred direction is influenced by external magnetic fields and by solid boundaries so that when an external magnetio field is applied to a specimen of liquid crystal in a container these two influences compete. Applying the continuum theory, this competition has been studied for nematic liquid crystals contained between two parallel plates, a pair of coaxial circular cylinders, and awedge. In this paper we analyse two further solutions when the material lies between two coaxial circular cylinders. We also discuss the corresponding situation when the container is a cone and plate viscometer. Critical magnetic fields are predicted which could either be used to obtain estimates of the material constants appearing in the theory or to check theory with experiment.

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