THE EIGENVALUE PROBLEM AND SAINT-VENANT DECAY RATE FOR A NONHOMOGENEOUS SEMI-INFINITE STRIP

The eigenvalue problem about a nonhomogeneous semi-infinite strip is investigated using the methodology proposed by Papkovich and Fadle for homogeneous plane problems. Two types of nonhomogeneity are considered： （i） the elastic modulus varying with the thickness coor- dinate x exponentially, （ii） it varying with the length coordinate y exponentially. The eigenvalues for the two cases are obtained numerically in plane strain and plane stress states, respectively. By considering the smallest positive eigenvalue, tile Saint-Venant Decay rates are estimated, which indicates material nonhomogeneity has a signifcant influence on the Saint-Venant end effect.     

Saint-Venant's principle in linear elasticity with microstructure

Toupin's version of the Saint-Venant principle in linear elasticity is generalized to the case of linear elasticity with microstructure. That is, it is shown that, for a straight prismatic bar made of an isotropic linear elastic material with microstructure and loaded by a self-equilibrated force system at one end only, the strain energy stored in the portion of the bar which is beyond a distance s from the loaded end decreases exponentially with the distance s.     

Saint-Venant decay rates for a non-homogeneous isotropic mixture of elastic solids in anti-plane shear

The purpose of this research is to investigate the influence of material inhomogeneity on the decay of Saint-Venant end effects in anti-plane shear deformations of linear isotropic mixtures of elastic solids. The work is motivated by the recent research activity on functionally graded materials (FGMs), i.e. materials with spatially varying properties tailored to satisfy particular engineering applications. The spatial decay of solutions of a boundary value problem with variable coefficients on a semi-infinite strip is investigated. The results may be interpreted in terms of a Saint-Venant principle for anti-plane shear deformations of linear isotropic mixtures of elastic solids.     

Saint-Venant decay rates for an anisotropic and non-homogeneous mixture of elastic solids in anti-plane shear

The purpose of this research is to investigate the influence of material inhomogeneity and anisotropy on the decay of Saint-Venant end effects in anti-plane shear deformations of linear mixtures of elastic solids. The spatial decay of solutions of a boundary value problem with variable coefficients on a semi-infinite strip is investigated. The results may be interpreted in terms of a Saint-Venant principle for anti-plane shear deformations of linear anisotropic mixtures of elastic solids. As our first results have a very general point of view, we study some examples in detail.     

Nonlocal theory solution of two collinear cracks in the functionally graded materials

In this paper, the interaction of two collinear cracks in functionally graded materials subjected to a uniform anti-plane shear loading is investigated by means of nonlocal theory. The traditional concepts of the nonlocal theory are extended to solve the fracture problem of functionally graded materials. To make the analysis tractable, it is assumed that the shear modulus varies exponentially with the coordinate vertical to the crack. By use of the Fourier transform, the problem can be solved with the help of a pair of triple integral equations, in which the unknown variable is the displacement on the crack surfaces. To solve the triple integral equations, the displacement on the crack surfaces is expanded in a series of Jacobi polynomials. Unlike the classical elasticity solutions, it is found that no stress singularity is present near the crack tips. The nonlocal elastic solutions yield a finite hoop stress at the crack tip, thus allowing us to use the maximum stress as a fracture criterion in functionally graded materials. The magnitude of the finite stress field depends on the crack length, the distance between two cracks, the parameter describing the functionally graded materials and the lattice parameter of the materials.     

Saint-Venant Decay Rates for an Isotropic Inhomogeneous Linearly Elastic Solid in Anti-Plane Shear

The purpose of this research is to investigate the effects of material inhomogeneity on the decay of Saint-Venant end effects in linear isotropic elasticity. This question is addressed within the context of anti-plane shear deformations of an inhomogeneous isotropic elastic solid. The mathematical issues involve the effects of spatial inhomogeneity on the decay rates of solutions to Dirichlet or Neumann boundary-value problems for a second-order linear elliptic partial differential equation with variable coefficients on a semi-infinite strip. The elastic coefficients are assumed to be smooth functions of the transverse coordinate. The estimated rate of exponential decay with distance from the loaded end (a lower bound for the exact rate of decay) is characterized in terms of the smallest positive eigenvalue of a Sturm–Liouville problem with variable coefficients. Analytic lower bounds for this eigenvalue are used to obtain the desired estimated decay rates. Numerical techniques are also employed to assess the accuracy of the analytic results. A related eigenvalue optimization question is discussed and its implications for the issue of material tailoring is addressed. The results of this paper are applicable to continuously inhomogeneous materials and, in particular, to functionally graded materials. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Saint-Venant end effects for plane deformations of linear piezoelectric solids

The recent developments in smart structures technology have stimulated renewed interest in the fundamental theory and applications of linear piezoelectricity. In this paper, we investigate the decay of Saint-Venant end effects for plane deformations of a piezoelectric semi-infinite strip. First of all, we develop the theory of plane deformations for a general anisotropic linear piezoelectric solid. Just as in the mechanical case, not all linear homogeneous anisotropic piezoelectric cylindrical solids will sustain a non-trivial state of plane deformation. The governing system of four second-order partial differential equations for the two in-plane displacements and electric potential are overdetermined in general. Sufficient conditions on the elastic and piezoelectric constants are established that do allow for a state of plane deformation. The resulting traction boundary-value problem with prescribed surface charge is an oblique derivative boundary-value problem for a coupled elliptic system of three second-order partial differential equations. The special case of a piezoelectric material transversely isotropic about the poling axis is then considered. Thus the results are valid for the hexagonal crystal class 6mm. The geometry is then specialized to be a two-dimensional semi-infinite strip and the poling axis is the axis transverse to the longitudinal direction. We consider such a strip with sides traction-free, subject to zero surface charge and self-equilibrated conditions at the end and with tractions and surface charge assumed to decay to zero as the axial variable tends to infinity. A formulation of the problem in terms of an Airy-type stress function and an induction function is adopted. The governing partial differential equations are a coupled system of a fourth and third-order equation for these two functions. On seeking solutions that exponentially decay in the axial direction one obtains an eigenvalue problem for a coupled system of fourth and second-order ordinary differential equations. This problem is the piezoelectric analog of the well-known eigenvalue problem arising in the case of an anisotropic elastic strip. It is shown that the problem can be uncoupled to an eigenvalue problem for a single sixth-order ordinary differential equation with complex eigenvalues characterized as roots of transcendental equations governing symmetric and anti-symmetric deformations and electric fields. Assuming completeness of the eigenfunctions, the rate of decay of end effects is then given by the real part of the eigenvalue with smallest positive real part. Numerical results are given for PZT-5H, PZT-5, PZT-4 and Ceramic-B. It is shown that end effects for plane deformations of these piezoceramics penetrate further into the strip than their counterparts for purely elastic isotropic materials.     

Justification of the Asymptotic Expansion Method for Homogeneous Isotropic Beams by Comparison with De Saint-Venant’s Solutions

The formal asymptotic expansion method is an attractive mean to derive simplified models for problems exhibiting a small parameter, such as the elastic analysis of beam-like structures. Usually this method is rigorously justified using convergence theorems Yu and Hodges, 2004. In this paper it is illustrated how the Saint-Venant’s solution naturally arises from the lowest order terms of an asymptotic expansion of the elastic state for the case of homogeneous isotropic beams. It is also highlighted that the Saint-Venant solutions corresponding to pure traction, bending and torsion involve the solution of the first-order microscopic problems, while for the simple bending problem, the solution of the second-order microscopic problems is needed. The second-order problems provide therefore a way to characterize the transverse shear behavior and the cross-sectional warping of the beam.     

Static analysis of anisotropic functionally graded magneto-electro-elastic beams subjected to arbitrary loading

This paper considers the analytical and semi-analytical solutions for anisotropic functionally graded magneto-electro-elastic beams subjected to an arbitrary load, which can be expanded in terms of sinusoidal series. For the generalized plane stress problem, the stress function, electric displacement function and magnetic induction function are assumed to consist of two parts, respectively. One is a product of a trigonometric function of the longitudinal coordinate (x) and an undetermined function of the thickness coordinate (z), and the other a linear polynomial of x with unknown coefficients depending on z. The governing equations satisfied by these z-dependent functions are derived. The analytical expressions of stresses, electric displacements, magnetic induction, axial force, bending moment, shear force, average electric displacement, average magnetic induction, displacements, electric potential and magnetic potential are then deduced, with integral constants determinable from the boundary conditions. The analytical solution is derived for beam with material coefficients varying exponentially along the thickness, while the semi-analytical solution is sought by making use of the sub-layer approximation for beam with an arbitrary variation of material parameters along the thickness. The present analysis is applicable to beams with various boundary conditions at the two ends. Two numerical examples are presented for validation of the theory and illustration of the effects of certain parameters.     

New assessment on the Saint-Venant solutions for functionally graded beams

A symplectic approach is proposed to investigate the Saint-Venant problem of functionally graded beams with Young's modulus varying exponentially in the axial direction and constant Poisson radio. A matrix state equation is derived with a shift-Hamiltonian operator matrix whose particular eigenvalues are proved to compose the basic solutions of the Saint-Venant problem. The present analyses demonstrate that the Saint-Venant solutions under simple extension and pure bending can be derived using either the direct expansion method or the rigid motion removing method.     

Transient analysis of a propagating crack with finite length subjected to a horizontally polarized shear wave

In this study, the transient response of a finite crack subjected to an incident horizontally polarized shear wave and then propagated with a constant speed in an unbounded elastic solid is investigated. Initially, the finite crack with crack length l is stress-free and at rest. At time t = 0, an incident horizontally polarized shear wave strikes at one of the crack tips and will arrive at the other tip at a later time. Then, two crack tips propagate along the crack tip line with different velocities as the corresponding stress intensity factors reach their fracture toughness. The correspondent configuration is shown in Fig. 1

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Fig. 1. Configuration and coordinate systems of a finite crack in an unbounded medium.

. In analyzing this problem, diffracted waves generated by two propagating crack tips must be taken into account and it makes the analysis extremely difficult. In order to solve this problem, the transform formula in the Laplace transform domain between moving and stationary coordinates is first established. Complete solutions are determined by superposition of proposed fundamental solutions in the Laplace transform domain. The fundamental solutions to be used are from the problems of applying exponentially distributed traction and screw dislocation on crack faces and along the crack tip line, respectively. The exact transient solutions of dynamic stress intensity factor for the first few diffracted waves that arrive at two crack tips are obtained and expressed in compact formulations. Numerical calculations of dynamic stress intensity factors for both tips are evaluated and the results are discussed in detail.     

End effects for anti-plane shear deformations of sandwich structures

The purpose of this research is to further investigate the effects of material inhomogeneity and the combined effects of material inhomogeneity and anisotropy on the decay of Saint-Venant end effects. Saint-Venant decay rates for self-equilibrated edge loads in symmetric sandwich structures are examined in the context of anti-plane shear for linear anisotropic elasticity. The problem is governed by a second-order, linear, elliptic, partial differential equation with discontinuous coefficients. The most general anisotropy consistent with a state of anti-plane shear is considered, as well as a variety of boundary conditions. Anti-plane or longitudinal shear deformations are one of the simplest classes of deformations in solid mechanics. The resulting deformations are completely characterized by a single out-of-plane displacement which depends only on the in-plane coordinates. They can be thought of as complementary deformations to those of plane elasticity. While these deformations have received little attention compared with the plane problems of linear elasticity, they have recently been investigated for anisotropic and inhomogeneous linear elasticity. In the context of linear elasticity, Saint-Venant's principle is used to show that self-equilibrated loads generate local stress effects that quickly decay away from the loaded end of a structure. For homogeneous isotropic linear elastic materials this is well-documented. Self-equilibrated loads are a class of load distributions that are statically equivalent to zero, i.e., have zero resultant force and moment. When Saint-Venant's principle is valid, pointwise boundary conditions can be replaced by more tractable resultant conditions. It is shown in the present study that material inhomogeneity significantly affects the practical application of Saint-Venant's principle to sandwich structures.     

含孔边非均匀材料圆环的无限大薄板的应力集中系数

对于含圆孔及孔边非均匀材料圆环的无限大薄板，假设非均匀材料的弹性模量沿径向按照指数函数变化，而泊松比为常数，分别导出了双轴拉伸和纯剪切作用时孔边及界面处的应力集中系数的解析解．通过数值算例详细分析了非均匀材料圆环的弹性模量的变化对无限大薄板的孔边及界面处的应力集中系数的影响．研究结果表明，合理选择孔边非均匀材料圆环的材料性能变化参数可有效地缓解薄板的孔边应力集中程度．本文的研究结果可为含圆孔的薄板的设计提供一定的参考．     

Saint-Venant End Effects in Anti-plane Shear for Classes of Linear Piezoelectric Materials

This paper is concerned with further investigation of the effect of mechanical/electrical coupling on the decay of Saint-Venant end effects in linear piezoelectricity. Saint-Venant's principle and related results for elasticity theory have received considerable attention in the literature but relatively little is known about analogous issues in piezoelectricity. The current rapidly developing smart structures technology provides motivation for the investigation of such problems. The decay of Saint-Venant end effects is investigated in the context of anti-plane shear deformations for linear homogeneous piezoelectric solids. For a rather general class of anisotropic piezoelectric materials, the governing partial differential equations of equilibrium are a coupled system of second-order partial differential equations for the mechanical displacement u and electric potential ?. The traction boundary-value problem with prescribed surface charge can be formulated as an oblique derivative boundary-value problem for this elliptic system. Energy-decay estimates using differential inequality methods are used to study the axial decay of solutions on a semi-infinite strip subjected to non-zero boundary conditions only at the near end. This analysis is carried out for a rather general class of materials (the tetragonal ${\bar 4}$ crystal class). The boundary-value problem involves a full coupling of mechanical and electrical effects. There are four independent material constants appearing in the problem. An explicit estimated decay rate (a lower bound for the actual decay rate) is obtained in terms of two dimensionless piezoelectric parameters d ₀,r, the first of which provides a measure of the degree of piezoelectric coupling. The estimated decay rate is shown to be monotone decreasing with increasing values of the coupling parameter d ₀. In the limit as d ₀→0, we recover the exact decay rate for the purely mechanical case. Thus, for the tetragonal ${\bar 4}$ class of materials, piezoelectric end effects are predicted to penetrate further into the strip than their elastic counterparts, confirming recent results obtained in other contexts in linear piezoelectricity.     

A Frame-Independent Solution to Saint-Venant’s Flexure Problem

The paper illustrates a solution approach for the Saint-Venant flexure problem which preserves a pure objective tensor form, thus yielding, for sections of arbitrary geometry, representations of stress and displacement fields that exploit exclusively frame-independent quantities. The implications of the availability of an objective solution to the shear warpage problem are discussed and supplemented by several analytical and numerical solutions. The derivation of tensor expressions for the shear center and the shear flexibility tensor is also illustrated. Furthermore, a Cesaro-like integration procedure is provided whereby the derivation of a frame-independent representation of the displacements field for the shear loading case is systematically carried out via the use of Gibbs’ algebra. The objective framework presented in this paper is further exploited in a companion article (Serpieri, in J. Elast. (2013)) to prove the coincidence of energetic and kinematic definitions of the shear flexibility tensor and of the shear principal axes.     

On state-space elastostatics within a plane stress sectorial domain – the wedge and the curved beam

The plane stress sectorial domain is analysed according to a state-space formulation of the linear theory of elasticity. When loading is applied to the straight radial edges (flanks), with the circular arcs free of traction, one has the curved beam; when loading is applied to the circular arcs, with the flanks free of traction, one has the elastic wedge. A complete treatment of just one problem (the elastic wedge, say) requires two state-space formulations; the first describes radial evolution for the transmission of the stress resultants (force and moment), while the second describes circumferential evolution for determination of the rates of decay of self-equilibrated loading on the circular arcs, as anticipated by Saint-Venant’s principle. These two formulations can be employed subsequently for the curved beam, where now radial evolution is employed for the Saint-Venant decay problem, and circumferential evolution for the transmission modes. Power-law radial dependence is employed for the wedge, and is quite adequate except for treatment of the so-called wedge paradox; for this, and the curved beam, the formulations are modified so that ln r takes the place of the radial coordinate r. The analysis is characterised by a preponderance of repeating eigenvalues for the transmission modes, and the state-space formulation allows a systematic approach for determination of the eigen- and principal vectors. The so-called wedge paradox is related to accidental eigenvalue degeneracy for a particular angle, and its resolution involves a principal vector describing the bending moment coupled to a decay eigenvector. Restrictions on repeating eigenvalues and possible Jordan canonical forms are developed. Finally, symplectic orthogonality relationships are derived from the reciprocal theorem.     

End Effects for Anti-Plane Shear Deformations of Periodically Laminated STrips with Imperfect Bonding

The axial decay of Saint-Venant end effects is investigated for anti-plane shear deformations of semi-infinite generally laminated anisotropic strips. Imperfect bonding conditions are imposed at the interfaces. The analytical approach, using a displacement field which decays exponentially in the axial direction, gives rise to a transcendental equation for the real eigenvalues. The decay rate for the stresses is given in terms of the smallest positive eigenvalue. Laminated strips with periodic layout are then considered. In the presence of imperfect bonding, the effective shear elastic moduli, computed through a homogenization method, depend on the total number of slipping interfaces in the laminate. Numerical examples confirm that the decay lengths computed with effective shear moduli represent the asymptotic values (for an increasing number of layers) for those of periodically laminated strips. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Elasticity solutions for plane anisotropic functionally graded beams

This paper considers the plane stress problem of generally anisotropic beams with elastic compliance parameters being arbitrary functions of the thickness coordinate. Firstly, the partial differential equation, which is satisfied by the Airy stress function for the plane problem of anisotropic functionally graded materials and involves the effect of body force, is derived. Secondly, a unified method is developed to obtain the stress function. The analytical expressions of axial force, bending moment, shear force and displacements are then deduced through integration. Thirdly, the stress function is employed to solve problems of anisotropic functionally graded plane beams, with the integral constants completely determined from boundary conditions. A series of elasticity solutions are thus obtained, including the solution for beams under tension and pure bending, the solution for cantilever beams subjected to shear force applied at the free end, the solution for cantilever beams or simply supported beams subjected to uniform load, the solution for fixed–fixed beams subjected to uniform load, and the one for beams subjected to body force, etc. These solutions can be easily degenerated into the elasticity solutions for homogeneous beams. Some of them are absolutely new to literature, and some coincide with the available solutions. It is also found that there are certain errors in several available solutions. A numerical example is finally presented to show the effect of material inhomogeneity on the elastic field in a functionally graded anisotropic cantilever beam.     

Saint-Venant problem for solids with helical anisotropy

We discuss the solution of Saint-Venant’s problem for solids with helical anisotropy. Here the governing relations of the theory of elasticity in terms of displacements were presented using the helical coordinate system. We proposed an approach to construct elementary Saint-Venant solutions using integration of ordinary differential equations with variable coefficients in the case of a circular cylinder with helical anisotropy. Elementary solutions correspond to problems of extension, of torsion, of pure bending and of bending of shear force. The solution of the problem is obtained using small parameter method for small values of twist angle and numerically for arbitrary values. Numeric results correspond to problems of extension–torsion. Dependencies of the stiffness matrix (in dimensionless form) on angle between the tangent to the helical coil and the axis of the cylinder corresponding to stiffness on stretching and torsion are illustrated graphically for different values of material and geometrical parameters.     

On the role of symmetry in Saint-Venant’s problem

In the relaxed Saint-Venant’s elastic problem, in virtue of Saint-Venant’s Postulate, the pointwise assignments of tractions at cylinder plane ends are replaced by the assignments of the corresponding resultant forces and moments. The solution indeterminacy so introduced is traditionally overcome by postulating that some specific features characterize the elastic state. In this work a relaxed incremental equilibrium problem is posed for a heterogenous anisotropic cylinder, whose tangent elasticity tensor field possesses the usual major and minor symmetries, is positive definite, independent from the axial coordinate and endowed with a plane of elastic symmetry orthogonal to the cylinder axis. Symmetry has been consistently employed to formulate the basic problems of extension, bending, torsion and flexure as symmetric and antisymmetric problems respectively. It is shown that Saint-Venant’s postulate, momentum balance and symmetry are sufficient, without resorting to any a priori assumption, to determine the general form of the displacement field and to remove the solution indeterminacy.