Axially symmetric thermal stress of an external circular crack under general thermal conditions

Summary The paper presents a solution for the linear thermoelastic problem of determining axisymmetric stress and displacement fields in an isotropic elastic solid of infinite extent weakened by an external circular crack under general mechanical loadings and general thermal conditions. The mechanical loadings and thermal conditions applied on the crack faces are axisymmetric, being non-symmetric about the crack plane. In similar lines of [7], equations of equilibrium of an elastic solid conducting heat have been solved using Hankel transforms and Abel operators of the first kind. Expressions for stress, displacement, temperature and heat flux functions are obtained in terms of Abel transforms of the first kind of the jumps of stress, displacement, temperature and heat flux at the crack plane. Two types of thermal conditions, that is, general surface temperatures and general heat flux on faces of the crack are considered. In both the cases, closed form solutions have been obtained for the unknown functions solving Abel type of integral equations. Explicit expressions for stresses, displacements, temperature fields, stress intensity factors have been obtained. Two special cases of thermal conditions in which: (i) crack faces are subjected to constant non-symmetric temperatures over a circular ring area, (ii) crack faces are subjected to constant non-symmetric heat flux over a circular ring area, have been considered. In some special cases, results have been compared with those from the literature.