Elastic field of an isotropic matrix with a nanoscale elliptical inhomogeneity

In traditional continuum mechanics, the effect of surface energy is ignored as it is small compared to the bulk energy. For nanoscale materials and structures, however, the surface effects become significant due to the high surface/volume ratio. In this paper, two-dimensional elastic field of a nanoscale elliptical inhomogeneity embedded in an infinite matrix under arbitrary remote loading and a uniform eigenstrain in the inhomogeneity is investigated. The Gurtin–Murdoch surface/interface elasticity model is applied to take into account the surface/interface stress effects. By using the complex variable technique of Muskhelishvili, the analytic potential functions are obtained in the form of an infinite series. Selected numerical results are presented to study the size-dependency of the elastic field and the effects of surface elastic moduli and residual surface stress. It is found that the elastic field of an elliptic inhomogeneity under uniform eigenstrain is no longer uniform when the interfacial stress effects are taken into account.     

A three-dimensional inverse problem for inhomogeneities in elastic solids

The Newtonian potential is used to solve an inverse problem in which we seek the shape of an inhomogeneity in an infinite elastic matrix under uniform applied stresses at infinity such that certain stress components are uniform on the boundary of the inhomogeneity. It is shown that ellipsoids furnish the solution of this inverse problem. Exact and general expressions for the stress and displacement are given explicitly for points in the elastic matrix outside the inhomogeneity. The solution of the corresponding plane deformation problem is found as a limiting case. Several applications are presented, and results from the literature are confirmed as special cases.     

On the anti-plane shear of an elliptic nano inhomogeneity

The elastic field of an elliptic nano inhomogeneity embedded in an infinite matrix under anti-plane shear is studied with the complex variable method. The interface stress effects of the nano inhomogeneity are accounted for with the Gurtin–Murdoch model. The conformal mapping method is then applied to solve the formulated boundary value problem. The obtained numerical results are compared with the existing closed form solutions for a circular nano inhomogeneity and a traditional elliptic inhomogeneity under anti-plane. It shows that the proposed semi-analytic method is effective and accurate. The stress fields inside the inhomogeneity and matrix are then systematically studied for different interfacial and geometrical parameters. It is found that the stress field inside the elliptic nano inhomogeneity is no longer uniform due to the interface effects. The shear stress distributions inside the inhomogeneity and matrix are size dependent when the size of the inhomogeneity is on the order of nanometers. The numerical results also show that the interface effects are highly influenced by the local curvature of the interface. The elastic field around an elliptic nano hole is also investigated in this paper. It is found that the traction free boundary condition breaks down at the elliptic nano hole surface. As the aspect ratio of the elliptic hole increases, it can be seen as a Mode-III blunt crack. Even for long blunt cracks, the surface effects can still be significant around the blunt crack tip. Finally, the equivalence between the uniform eigenstrain inside the inhomogeneity and the remote loading is discussed.     

Non-uniform eigenstrain induced stress field in an elliptic inhomogeneity embedded in orthotropic media with complex roots

This paper deals with an elastic orthotropic inhomogeneity problem due to non-uniform eigenstrains. The specific form of the distribution of eigenstrains is assumed to be a linear function in Cartesian coordinates of the points of the inhomogeneity. Based on the polynomial conservation theorem, the induced stress field inside the inhomogeneity which is also linear, is determined by the evaluation of 10 unknown real coefficients. These coefficients are derived analytically based on the principle of minimum potential energy of the elastic inhomogeneity/matrix system together with the complex function method and conformal transformation. The resulting stress field in the inhomogeneity is verified using the continuity conditions for the normal and shear stresses on the boundary. In addition, the present analytic solution can be reduced to known results for the case of uniform eigenstrain.     

Piezoelectric Study on Elliptic Inhomogeneity Problem Using Alternating Technique

This paper presents a novel efficient procedure to analyze the elliptical inhomogeneity problem in piezoelectric materials under electromechanical loadings. The electromechanical loadings considered in this paper include a point force and a point charge or a far-field anti-plane shear and in-plane electric field. The analytical continuation method together with alternating technique is used to derive the electroelastic fields in terms of the corresponding homogeneous solution. Compared to existing related papers, this approach could lead to some interesting simplifications in solution procedure and the derived analytical solution for singularity problems can be employed as a Green's function to investigate matrix cracking in the inclusion/matrix system. Numerical results are provided to show the effect of the material mismatch, the aspect ratio and the loading condition on the electroelastic field due to the presence of the inhomogeneity.     

含圆形夹杂的无穷大平面电致伸缩材料的应力分析

利用电致伸缩基本方程,采用伪总应力和复变函数解法,并利用级数展开方法得出了含圆形夹杂的无限大电致伸缩材料应力场,在一般情况下,与Eshelby夹杂理论不同,在电致伸缩材料圆形夹杂内部应力场是非均匀的．     

Electro-elastic interaction between a piezoelectric screw dislocation and circular interfacial rigid lines

The electro-elastic interaction between a piezoelectric screw dislocation located either outside or inside inhomogeneity and circular interfacial rigid lines under anti-plane mechanical and in-plane electrical loads in linear piezoelectric materials is dealt with in the framework of linear elastic theory. Using Riemann–Schwarz’s symmetry principle integrated with the analysis of singularity of complex functions, the general solution of this problem is presented in this paper. For a special example, the closed form solutions for electro-elastic fields in matrix and inhomogeneity regions are derived explicitly when interface containing single rigid line. Applying perturbation technique, perturbation stress and electric displacement fields are obtained. The image force acting on piezoelectric screw dislocation is calculated by using the generalized Peach–Koehler formula. As a result, numerical analysis and discussion show that soft inhomogeneity can repel screw dislocation in piezoelectric material due to their intrinsic electro-mechanical coupling behavior and the influence of interfacial rigid line upon the image force is profound. When the radian of circular rigid line reaches extensive magnitude, the presence of interfacial rigid line can change the interaction mechanism.     

Circular inclusions in anti-plane strain couple stress elasticity

The solution for a circular inclusion with a prescribed anti-plane eigenstrain is derived. It is shown that the components of the Eshelby tensor within the inclusion, corresponding to a uniform eigenstrain, can be either uniform or non-uniform, depending on the imposed interface conditions. The stress amplification factors due to circular void or rigid inclusion in an infinite medium under remote anti-plane shear stress are calculated. The failure of the couple stress elasticity to reproduce the classical elasticity solution in the limit of vanishingly small characteristic length is indicated for a particular type of boundary conditions. The solution for a circular inhomogeneity in an infinitely extended matrix subjected to remote shear stress is then derived. The effects of the imposed interface conditions, the shear stress and couple stress discontinuities, and the relationship between the inhomogeneity and its equivalent eigenstrain inclusion problem are discussed.     

Uniform Stress Inside an Anisotropic Elliptic Inclusion with Imperfect Interface Bonding

In this paper we study the two-dimensional deformation of an anisotropic elliptic inclusion embedded in an infinite dissimilar anisotropic matrix subject to a uniform loading at infinity. The interface is assumed to be imperfectly bonded. The surface traction is continuous across the interface while the displacement is discontinuous. The interface function that relates the surface traction and the displacement discontinuity across the interface is a tensor function, not a scalar function as employed by most work in the literature. We choose the interface function such that the stress inside the elliptic inclusion is uniform. Explicit solution for the inclusion and the matrix is presented. The materials in the inclusion and in the matrix are general anisotropic elastic materials so that the antiplane and inplane displacements are coupled regardless of the applied loading at infinity. T.C.T. Ting is Professor Emeritus of University of Illinois at Chicago and Consulting Professor of Stanford University.     

Stress intensity factor of an elliptical crack as influenced by a spherical inhomogeneity

The interaction between an elliptical crack and a spherical inhomogeneity embedded in a three-dimensional solid subject to uniaxial tension is investigated. Both the inhomogeneity and the solid are isotropic but have different elastic moduli. The Eshelby's equivalent inclusion method is applied together with the principle of superposition. An approximate solution for the stress intensity factor is obtained by an approach that expands the distance between the center of the crack and inhomogeneity in series. The local stress field can be increased or decreased depending on the relative modulus of the spherical inhomogeneity and matrix. If the inhomogeneity modulus is larger than that of the matrix, a reduction in the stress intensity factor prevails. Displayed numerically are results to exhibit the influence of inhomogeneity and its distance to the crack.     

Elastic field perturbation by a misfitting ring inclusion

The plane elasticity problem of a circular ring inhomogeneity, with either a hollow or a rigid core, is confronted. A solution is obtained under a wide class of loading conditions, the main limitation being that internal stress sources (if any) are located in the matrix. In order to take into account interfacial residual stresses, misfit between matrix and inhomogeneity is allowed. Loading by misfit alone, by uniform remote stresses, and by an edge dislocation, are explicitly treated as special cases.     

Contact analysis in the presence of an ellipsoidal inhomogeneity within a half space

Many materials contain inhomogeneities or inclusions that may greatly affect their mechanical properties. Such inhomogeneities are for example encountered in the case of composite materials or materials containing precipitates. This paper presents an analysis of contact pressure and subsurface stress field for contact problems in the presence of anisotropic elastic inhomogeneities of ellipsoidal shape. Accounting for any orientation and material properties of the inhomogeneities are the major novelties of this work. The semi-analytical method proposed to solve the contact problem is based on Eshelby’s formalism and uses 2D and 3D Fast Fourier Transforms to speed up the computation. The time and memory necessary are greatly reduced in comparison with the classical finite element method. The model can be seen as an enrichment technique where the enrichment fields from the heterogeneous solution are superimposed to the homogeneous problem. The definition of complex geometries made by combination of inclusions can easily be achieved. A parametric analysis on the effect of elastic properties and geometrical features of the inhomogeneity (size, depth and orientation) is proposed. The model allows to obtain the contact pressure distribution – disturbed by the presence of inhomogeneities – as well as subsurface and matrix/inhomogeneity interface stresses. It is shown that the presence of an inclusion below the contact surface affects significantly the contact pressure and subsurfaces stress distributions when located at a depth lower than 0.7 times the contact radius. The anisotropy directions and material data are also key elements that strongly affect the elastic contact solution. In the case of normal contact between a spherical indenter and an elastic half space containing a single inhomogeneity whose center is located straight below the contact center, the normal stress at the inhomogeneity/matrix interface is mostly compressive. Finally when the axes of the ellipsoidal inclusion do not coincide with the contact problem axes, the pressure distribution is not symmetrical.     

Elastic Energies in Circular Inhomogeneities: Imperfect Versus Perfect Interfaces

The change in the total potential energy in a stressed elastic plane system, consisting of an unbounded matrix containing a cylindrical inhomogeneity of circular cross-section, is studied, when an imperfect bonding is formed across the interface. The imperfect bonding is simulated by linearly elastic springs distributed over the interface. Two loading cases are examined: an equilibrium system of fixed uniform tractions acting in the remote boundary of the matrix, and a phase transformation in the inhomogeneity prescribed by stress free uniform eigenstrains distributed in the inhomogeneity region. For both loadings, the fully elastic fields in explicit forms are derived involving the spring compliances and three new two-phase parameters depending on the elastic properties of the two materials. The elastic energies stored in the whole system and in its constituents are determined in simple and compact forms. It is shown that, in both loading cases, the total potential energy of the system is reduced. It is found that, in nanoscale, the ratio of the elastic energy stored in interface to the elastic energy stored in inhomogeneity increases rapidly for small values of the circular radius and tends to zero for large values. Also, this ratio increases as the matrix becomes softer compared to the inhomogeneity.     

Antiplane deformation of a partially bonded elliptical inclusion

A new method that introduces two holomorphic potential functions (the two-phase potentials) is applied to analyze the antiplane deformation of an elliptical inhomogeneity partially-bonded to an infinite matrix. Elastic fields are obtained when either the matrix is subject to a uniform longitudinal shear or the inhomogeneity undergoes a uniform shear transformation. The stress field possesses the square-root singularity of a Mode III interface crack, which, in the special case of a rigid line inhomogeneity, changes in order, as the crack tip approaches the inhomogeneity end. In the latter situation the crack-tip elastic fields are linear in two real stress intensity factors related to a strong and a weak singularity of the stress field.     

A New Method for an Inhomogeneity with Stepwise Graded Interphase under Thermomechanical Loadings

The solution for a circular inhomogeneity embedded in an infinite elastic matrix with a multilayered interphase plays a fundamental role in many practical and theoretical problems. Therefore, improved analysis methods for this problem are of great interest. In this paper, a new procedure is presented to obtain the exact stress fields within the inhomogeneity and the matrix under thermomechanical loadings, without the need of solving the full multiphase composite problem. With this short-cut method, the problem is reduced to a single linear algebraic equation and two coupled linear algebraic equations which determine the only three real coefficients of the stress field within the inhomogeneity. In particular, the average stresses within the inhomogeneity can be calculated directly from the three real coefficients. Further, the other three unknown real coefficients associated with the stress field in the matrix can be determined subsequently. Hence, the influence of the stepwise graded interphase on the stress fields is manifested by its effect on the six real coefficients. All these results hold for stepwise graded interphase composed of any number of interphase layers. Several examples serve to illustrate the method and its advantages over other existing approaches. The explicit solutions are used to study the design of harmonic elastic inclusions, and the effect of a compliant interphase layer on thermal-mismatch induced residual stresses. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

压电材料椭圆夹杂界面开裂问题的电弹性耦合解

本文研究了在反平面剪切和面内电场的共同作用下，压电材料椭圆夹杂的界面开裂问题，假定夹杂是刚性的导体，采用复变函数保角变换和级数展开方法，可确定压电材料基体的复势表达式，进而求得夹杂界面开裂的电弹性耦合的能量释放率。     

Equivalent inclusion solution adapted to particle debonding with a non-linear cohesive law

Starting from Eshelby’s solution of the equivalent inclusion problem, an approximate solution is proposed in order to model interface debonding of a spherical inhomogeneity isolated in a uniform matrix. Both phases are linear elastic but the interface traction-separation law is non-linear. A semi-analytical incremental model is developed which is suitable for any type of loading. For computational efficiency, the model relies on two simplifying assumptions: (i) the eigenstrain is uniform inside the inhomogeneity and (ii) the interface compliance is averaged over inhomogeneity’s surface when computing the average strain within the inhomogeneity. An extensive parametric study is conducted for three loading modes and 144 combinations of non-dimensional parameters. The predictions are assessed against full-field finite element solutions based on two error measures of the mean stress field inside the inhomogeneity. The results show that the mean error value is acceptable in all cases and indicate the parameter ranges for which the model is most accurate.     

On a semi-infinite crack penetrating a piezoelectric circular inhomogeneity with a viscous interface

We investigate a semi-infinite crack penetrating a piezoelectric circular inhomogeneity bonded to an infinite piezoelectric matrix through a linear viscous interface. The tip of the crack is at the center of the circular inhomogeneity. By means of the complex variable and conformal mapping methods, exact closed-form solutions in terms of elementary functions are derived for the following three loading cases: (i) nominal Mode-III stress and electric displacement intensity factors at infinity; (ii) a piezoelectric screw dislocation located in the unbounded matrix; and (iii) a piezoelectric screw dislocation located in the inhomogeneity. The time-dependent electroelastic field in the cracked composite system is obtained. Particularly the time-dependent stress and electric displacement intensity factors at the crack tip, jumps in the displacement and electric potential across the crack surfaces, displacement jump across the viscous interface, and image force acting on the piezoelectric screw dislocation are all derived. It is found that the value of the relaxation (or characteristic) time for this cracked composite system is just twice as that for the same fibrous composite system without crack. Finally, we extend the methods to the more general scenario where a semi-infinite wedge crack is within the inhomogeneity/matrix composite system with a viscous interface.     

滑动界面球形夹杂对平面压缩波的散射

非理想粘结界面对多相材料力学性能的影响日益受到重视。本文研究了无限各向同性基体中的滑介面球形单夹杂对平面压缩的散射问题。夹杂与基体间的界面为非理想粘结界面,在剪应力的作用下将出现界面两侧相对滑移。假定界面相对滑动位移与界面剪应力成正比,在这种线弹簧型滑动界面条件下,通过波函数的级数展开法,获得了夹杂在基体中反射波和折射波以及应力场的解析表达式,并讨论了界面自由滑动和刚性夹杂等特例。     

Anti-plane interaction of a crack and reinforced elliptic hole in an infinite matrix

Anti-plane interaction of a crack with a coated elliptical hole embedded in an infinite matrix under a remote uniform shear load is considered in this paper. Analytical treatment of the present problem is laborious due to the presence of material inhomogeneities and geometric discontinuities. Nevertheless, based on the technique of conformal mapping and the method of analytical continuation in conjunction with the alternating technique, general expressions for displacements and stresses in the coated layer and the matrix are derived explicitly in closed form. By applying the existing complex function solutions for a dislocation, the integral equations for a line crack are formulated and mode-III stress intensity factors are obtained numerically. Some numerical examples are given to demonstrate the effects of material inhomogeneity and geometric discontinuities on mode-III stress intensity factors.