A new method is proposed for the stress analysis of an elastic space weakened by several arbitrarily located coplanar circular cracks subjected to an arbitrary shear loading. The method is based on a new type of integral equation and has definite advantages over the existing methods: equations are non-singular, the iteration procedure is rapidly convergent even for very close interactions. The method allows us to obtain a practically exact numerical solution to the problem of very close interactions. An accurate analytical solution is obtained for the case of two cracks, which are separated by a half of their radius or more. The stress intensity factors and the crack energy increase due to the interaction are computed for various distances between the cracks.
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