A circular inhomogeneity with a mixed-type imperfect interface in anti-plane shear

We present a rigorous study of the problem associated with a circular inhomogeneity embedded in an infinite matrix subjected to anti-plane shear deformations. The inhomogeneity and the matrix are each endowed with separate and distinct surface elasticities and are bonded together through a soft spring-type imperfect interphase layer. This combination is referred to in the literature as a ‘mixed-type imperfect interface’ due to the fact that the soft interphase layer (described by the spring model) is bounded by two stiff interfaces arising from the separate surface elasticities of the inhomogeneity and the matrix. The entire composite is subjected to remote shear stresses and we allow for the presence of a screw dislocation in either the inhomogeneity or the matrix. The corresponding boundary value problem is reduced to two coupled second-order differential equations for the two analytic functions defined in the two phases (as well as their analytical continuations) leading to solutions in either series or closed-form. The analysis indicates that the stress field in the composite and the image force acting on the screw dislocation can be described completely in terms of three size-dependent parameters and a size-independent mismatch parameter. Interestingly, in the absence of the screw dislocation, the size-dependent stress field inside the inhomogeneity is uniform. Several numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the solution for a screw dislocation located inside the matrix. The results show that it is permissible for the dislocation to have multiple equilibrium positions.     

Analytic solution for a circular nano-inhomogeneity with interface stretching and bending resistance in plane strain deformations

In the mechanical analysis of composites containing nano-inhomogeneities, it is customary to consider only the stretching resistance of the inhomogeneity-matrix interface but neglect the bending resistance of the interface. In this paper, we consider a circular nano-inhomogeneity in an infinite elastic plane subjected to an arbitrary uniform remote in-plane loading with both stretching and bending resistance incorporated on the interface. Analytic solutions are obtained for the stress field both inside and outside the inhomogeneity by using an integral-type boundary condition representing the jump in traction across the interface. We show that the presence of interface bending resistance has no influence on the average of the mean stress in the inhomogeneity, and for certain interface stretching and bending rigidities the stress field inside the inhomogeneity can remain uniform regardless of the specific uniform remote loading. Numerical examples are presented to examine the influence of the interface bending resistance on the interfacial tractions imposed on the inhomogeneity and matrix for a uniform remote uniaxial loading. It is found that the introduction of interface bending resistance perturbs the (interfacial) tractions imposed on the inhomogeneity only slightly whether the inhomogeneity is softer or harder than the matrix, while it may influence the (interfacial) tractions imposed on the matrix significantly when the inhomogeneity is much softer than the matrix. Moreover, it is shown that the peak of the interface bending resistance-induced jump in traction across the interface initially increases and then decreases as the inhomogeneity becomes harder (from an initial state in which the inhomogeneity is softer than the matrix).     

Line singularity inside an elliptic inhomogeneity

The problem of an elliptic insert with a point of elastic singularity and a perfectly adhering interface is solved using the complex variable method. In particular, it is found that the remote field is insensitive to the inhomogeneity shape and interface status. Unified formulae for the special cases of free elliptic disk and rigid matrix are written and discussed. A closed-form solution for an arbitrary line singularity inside a circular inhomogeneity is also derived as a special case.     

Stress distribution in dissimilar materials containing inhomogeneities near the interface using a novel finite element

This study is concerned with the determination of the elastic behaviour of two dissimilar materials containing a single and two interacting inhomogeneities near the interface using a novel finite element. The general form of the element, which is constructed from a cell containing a single circular inhomogeneity in a surrounding matrix, is derived explicitly in a series form using the complex potentials of Muskhelishvili. The strength of the adopted eight-noded plane element lies in its ability to treat periodically and/or arbitrarily located multiple inhomogeneities in dissimilar materials accurately and efficiently.

Pertinent stress distributions are examined to illustrate the importance of the elastic properties of the dissimilar materials, the distance between their interface and the inhomogeneities and the direction of the externally applied load with respect to that interface upon the resulting stress field. The results of our work assist in defining the design parameters which govern the elastic behaviour of the examined problem. This problem relates to fibre reinforcement in advanced composite materials, second phase particles in traditional materials and plates stiffened with stringers commonly used in the aerospace and automotive fields.     

Elastic fields in two imperfectly bonded half-planes with a thermal inclusion of arbitrary shape

A general method is presented for the rigorous solution of Eshelby’s problem concerned with an arbitrary shaped inclusion embedded within one of two dissimilar elastic half-planes in plane elasticity. The bonding between the half-planes is considered to be imperfect with the assumption that the interface imperfections are uniform. Using analytic continuation, the basic boundary value problem is reduced to a set of two coupled nonhomogeneous first-order differential equations for two analytic functions defined in the lower half-plane which is free of the thermal inclusion. Using diagonalization, the two coupled differential equations are decoupled into two independent nonhomogeneous first-order differential equations for two newly defined analytic functions. The resulting closed-form solutions are given in terms of the constant imperfect interface parameters and the auxiliary function constructed from the conformal mapping which maps the exterior of the inclusion onto the exterior of the unit circle. The method is illustrated using several examples of an imperfect interface. In particular, when the same degree of imperfection is realized in both the normal and tangential directions between the two half-planes, a thermal inclusion of arbitrary shape in the upper half-plane does not cause any mean stress to develop in the lower half-plane. Alternatively, when the imperfect interface parameters are not equal, then a nonzero mean stress will be induced in the lower half-plane by the thermal inclusion of arbitrary shape in the upper half-plane. Detailed results are presented for the mean stress and the interfacial normal and shear stresses caused by a circular and elliptical thermal inclusion, respectively. Results from these calculations reveal that the imperfect bonding condition has a significant effect on the internal stress field induced within the inclusion as well as on the interfacial normal and shear stresses existing between the two half-planes especially when the inclusion is near the imperfect interface.     

Finite plane deformations of a three-phase circular inhomogeneity-matrix system

We consider finite plane deformations of a three-phase circular inhomogeneity-matrix system in which the inhomogeneity, the interphase layer and the matrix belong to the same class of compressible hyperelastic materials of harmonic-type but with each phase possessing its own distinct material properties. We obtain the complete solution when the system is subjected to general classes of remote (Piola) stress, specifically, remote stress distributions characterized by stress functions described by general polynomials of order n?1 in the corresponding complex variable z used to describe the matrix. As a particular case of the aforementioned analysis, we establish an Eshelby-type result namely that, for this class of harmonic materials, a three-phase circular inhomogeneity under uniform remote stress and eigenstrain, admits an internal uniform stress field when subjected to plane deformations.     

Construction of inclusions with vanishing generalized polarization tensors by imperfect interfaces

We investigate the problem of planar conductivity inclusion with imperfect interface conditions. We assume that the inclusion is simply connected. The presence of the inclusion causes a perturbation in the incident background field. This perturbation admits a multipole expansion of which coefficients we call as the generalized polarization tensors (GPTs), extending the previous terminology for inclusions with perfect interfaces. We derive explicit matrix expressions for the GPTs in terms of the incident field, material parameters, and geometry of the inclusion. As an application, we construct GPT-vanishing structures of general shape that result in negligible perturbations for all uniform incident fields. The structure consists of a simply connected core with an imperfect interface. We provide numerical examples of GPT-vanishing structures obtained by our proposed scheme.     

Polarization tensors of planar domains as functions of the admittivity contrast

(Electric) polarization tensors describe part of the leading order term of asymptotic voltage perturbations caused by low volume fraction inhomogeneities of the electrical properties of a medium. They depend on the geometry of the support of the inhomogeneities and on their admittivity contrast. Corresponding asymptotic formulas are of particular interest in the design of reconstruction algorithms for determining the locations and the material properties of inhomogeneities inside a body from measurements of current flows and associated voltage potentials on the body’s surface. In this work, we consider the two-dimensional case only and provide an analytic representation of the polarization tensor in terms of spectral properties of the double layer integral operator associated with the support of simply connected conductivity inhomogeneities. Furthermore, we establish that an (infinitesimal) simply connected inhomogeneity has the shape of an ellipse, if and only if the polarization tensor is a rational function of the admittivity contrast with at most two poles whose residues satisfy a certain algebraic constraint. We also use the analytic representation to provide a proof of the so-called Hashin–Shtrikman bounds for polarization tensors; a similar approach has been taken previously by Golden and Papanicolaou and Kohn and Milton in the context of anisotropic composite materials.     

On a partially debonded rigid line inclusion penetrating a circular inhomogeneity

We derive closed-form solutions to the mixed boundary value problem of a partially debonded rigid line inclusion penetrating a circular elastic inhomogeneity under antiplane shear deformation. The two tips of the rigid line inclusion are just mutual mirror images with respect to the inhomogeneity/matrix interface, and the upper part of the rigid line inclusion is debonded from the surrounding materials. By using conformal mapping and the method of image, closed-form solutions are derived for three loading cases: (i) the matrix is subjected to remote uniform stresses; (ii) the matrix is subjected to a line force and a screw dislocation; and (iii) the inhomogeneity is subjected to a line force and a screw dislocation. In the mapped ξ-plane, the solutions for all the three loading cases are interpreted in terms of image singularities. For the remote loading case, explicit full-field expressions of all the field variables such as displacement, stress function and stresses are obtained. Also derived is the near tip asymptotic elastic field governed by two generalized stress intensity factors. The generalized stress intensity factors for all the three loading cases are derived.     

Uniform Asymptotic Expansion of the Voltage Potential in the Presence of Thin Inhomogeneities with Arbitrary Conductivity

Asymptotic expansions of the voltage potential in terms of the "radius" of a diametrically small(or several diametrically small) material inhomogeneity(ies) are by now quite well-known. Such asymptotic expansions for diametrically small inhomogeneities are uniform with respect to the conductivity of the inhomogeneities.In contrast, thin inhomogeneities, whose limit set is a smooth, codimension 1 manifold,σ, are examples of inhomogeneities for which the convergence to the background potential,or the standard expansion cannot be valid uniformly with respect to the conductivity, a, of the inhomogeneity. Indeed, by taking a close to 0 or to infinity, one obtains either a nearly homogeneous Neumann condition or nearly constant Dirichlet condition at the boundary of the inhomogeneity, and this difference in boundary condition is retained in the limit.The purpose of this paper is to find a "simple" replacement for the background potential, with the following properties:(1) This replacement may be(simply) calculated from the limiting domain Ω\σ, the boundary data on the boundary of Ω, and the right-hand side.(2) This replacement depends on the thickness of the inhomogeneity and the conductivity,a, through its boundary conditions on σ.(3) The difference between this replacement and the true voltage potential converges to 0 uniformly in a, as the inhomogeneity thickness tends to 0.     

压电复合材料圆形夹杂中螺型位错和界面裂纹的干涉分析

研究了无穷远纵向剪切和面内电场共同作用下,压电复合材料圆形夹杂中螺型位错与界面裂纹的电弹耦合干涉作用．运用Riemann-Schwarz 对称原理,并结合复变函数奇性主部分析方法,获得了该问题的一般解答．作为典型算例,求出了界面含一条裂纹时基体和夹杂区域复势函数和电弹性场的封闭形式解．应用广义Peach-Koehler公式,导出了位错力的解析表达式．分析了裂纹几何参数和材料的电弹性常数对位错力的影响规律．结果表明,界面裂纹对位错力和位错平衡位置有很强的扰动效应,当界面裂纹长度达到临界值时,可以改变位错力的方向．该结果可以作为格林函数研究圆形夹杂内裂纹和界面裂纹的干涉效应．其公式的退化结果与已有文献完全一致．     

On the extremal value of the thermoelastic energy of a material with an inclusion subject to mechanical and thermal action

Under prescribed thermoelastic stresses and known properties of the matrix and the inclusion in an elastic medium with an inhomogeneity, we find the shape of inhomogeneity that leads to an extremal value of the thermoelastic energy. From the necessary conditions for an extremum of the thermoelastic energy functional we find a condition for seeking the interface. For the case of isotropic cornponents and under loads of stretching (compression) type and uniform heating of the medium the shape of the inclusion can be found explicitly within a certain range of initial parameter values. The results of numerical study are presented and analyzed. One table. Translated fromTeoreticheskaya i Prikladnaya Mekhanika, No. 25, 1995, pp. 26–34.     

Dynamics of spiral waves in a cardiac electromechanical model with a local electrical inhomogeneity

Joint effect of electrical heterogeneity (e.g. induced by ischemia) and mechanical deformation is investigated for an anisotropic, quasi–incompressible model of cardiac electromechanical coupling (EMC) using the active strain approach and periodic boundary conditions. Three local inhomogeneities with different geometry are simulated. Under a specific stimulation protocol, the heterogeneities are able to induce spirals. The interplay between the dimension of the electrical inhomogeneity, the EMC and the mechano-electrical feedback provided by the stretch activated current (SAC) determines the dynamics of the spiral waves of excitation, which could extinguish (in the case of low SAC), or be stable (with the tip rotating inside the inhomogeneity), or drift and be annihilated (in the case of high SAC).     

On a finite crack partially penetrating two circular inhomogeneities and some related problems

We investigate a Mode-III finite slit crack partially penetrating two circular inhomogeneities embedded in an unbounded matrix. In order to obtain analytical solutions, it is assumed that the two circular inhomogeneity-matrix interfaces are Apollonius circles with respect to the two crack tips (or equivalently the two crack tips are just mutually image points with respect to each one of the two circular interfaces). Particularly closed-form expressions of the stress intensity factors at the two crack tips are obtained even though only series form solutions to the original boundary value problem can be derived. The loadings considered in this research include: (i) remote uniform anti-plane shearing; (ii) a straight screw dislocation at any position of the three-phase composite system; (iii) a Zener-Stroh crack. The results are verified by comparison with existing solutions. The related problem of a circular hole partially merged in two circular inhomogeneities is also addressed, with closed-form expressions of the stress concentration factors derived.     

Three-phase inclusions of arbitrary shape with internal uniform hydrostatic thermal stresses

We investigate the internal thermal stress field of a three-phase inclusion of arbitrary shape which is bonded to an infinite matrix through an interphase layer. The three phases have different thermoelastic constants. It is found that the internal thermal stress field induced by a uniform change in temperature can be uniform and hydrostatic within an inclusion of elliptical or hypotrochoidal shape when the thickness of the interphase layer is properly designed for given material parameters of the three-phase composite. Several examples are presented to demonstrate the solution. The thermal stress analysis of a (Q + 2)-phase inclusion of arbitrary shape with Q ≥ 2 is also carried out under the assumption that all the phases except the internal inclusion share the same elastic constants. It is found that the irregular inclusion shape permitting internal uniform hydrostatic thermal stresses becomes really arbitrary if a sufficiently large number of interphase layers are added between the inclusion and the matrix.     

On recovering obstacles inside inhomogeneities

We consider acoustic scattering from an obstacle inside an inhomogeneous structure. We prove in the paper that if the outside inhomogeneity is known then the obstacle and possible inside inhomogeneity are uniquely determined by the fixed energy far field data. The proof is based on new mapping properties of layer potentials in spaces that specify one point. © 1998 B. G. Teubner Stuttgart–John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

Estimation of crack density due to fragmentation of brittle ellipsoidal inhomogeneities

An estimation is found for the energy release due to fragmentation of a brittle inhomogeneity of ellipsoidal shape embedded in a ductile matrix under remote static loading.The energy release calculated for prolate spheroidal inhomogeneities is used in the balance of energy to determine the crack density. (© 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Thermally Stressed State of Bodies with Two Ellipsoidal Inclusions

Solutions are obtained for the interaction of two ellipsoidal inclusions in an elastic isotropic matrix with polynomial external athermal and temperature fields. Perfect mechanical and temperature contact is assumed at the phase interface. A solution to the problem is constructed. When the perturbations in the temperature field and stresses in the matrix owing to one inclusion are re-expanded in a Taylor series about the center of the second inclusion, and vice versa, and a finite number of expansion terms is retained, one obtains a finite system of linear algebraic equations in the unknown constants. The effect of a force free boundary of the half space on the stressed state of a material with a triaxial ellipsoidal inhomogeneity (inclusion) is investigated for uniform heating. Here it was assumed that the elastic properties of the inclusions and matrix are the same, but the coefficients of thermal expansion of the phases differ. Studies are made of the way the stress perturbations in the matrix increase and the of the deviation from a uniform stressed state inside an inclusion as it approaches the force free boundary.     

压电材料椭圆夹杂界面局部脱粘问题的分析

利用复变函数方法,研究在反平面剪切和面内电场共同作用下压电材料椭圆夹杂的界面脱粘问题．假定夹杂界面脱粘导致了界面电绝缘型裂纹的产生．通过保角变换和解析延拓,将原问题化为两个黎曼-希尔伯特问题,获得了夹杂和基体复势的级数解,进而求得应力变形场以及夹杂-基体界面脱粘的能量释放率的一般表达式．通过理想粘结的椭圆夹杂、完全脱粘的椭圆夹杂、局部脱粘的刚性导体椭圆夹杂、局部脱粘的圆形夹杂等特例的分析说明了该解的有效性和通用性．     

Closed-form solutions for a mode III radial matrix crack penetrating a circular inhomogeneity

In this research we address in detail a mode III radial matrix crack penetrating a circular inhomogeneity. One tip of the radial crack lies in the matrix, while the other tip of the radial crack lies in the circular inhomogeneity. In addition the two tips of the crack are mutually image points (or inverse points) with respect to the circular inhomogeneity-matrix interface. First we conformally map the crack onto a unit circle C_a in the new ζ-plane. Meanwhile the inhomogeneity-matrix interface is mapped onto C_b, a part of another circle in the ζ-plane. In addition C_a and C_b intersect at a vertex angle π/2. By using the method of image in the ζ-plane, closed-form solutions in terms of elementary functions are derived for three loading cases: (1) remote uniform antiplane shearing; (2) a screw dislocation located in the unbounded matrix; and (3) a radial Zener–Stroh crack.