The interaction of gas bubbles in an anisotropic elastic solid

The problem of finding the stress field induced in the neighbourhood of two spherical gas bubbles or voids in an anisotropic matrix is formulated in terms of an integral equation for the “transformation stress” in equivalent homogeneous inclusions. An iterative method of solution is outlined, involving the solution of a class of problems for a single spherical inclusion perturbing a polynomial field of stress. Explicit solutions are obtained for polynomials up to second degree. Estimates of the energy of interaction between gas bubbles in α-U and between voids in Mo are deduced as examples, and the results are discussed in relation to earlier calculations and to observations.