On corner singularities in Reissner-Mindlin's theory of elastic plates

In the framework of linear elasticity, singularities occur in domains with non-smooth boundaries. Particularly in Fracture Mechanics, the local stress field near stress concentrations is of interest. In this work, singularities at re-entrant corners or sharp notches in Reissner-Mindlin plates are studied. Therefore, an asymptotic solution of the governing system of partial differential equations is obtained by using a complex potential approach which allows for an efficient calculation of the singularity exponent λ. The effect of the notch opening angle and the boundary conditions on the singularity exponent is discussed. The results show, that it can be distinguished between singularities for symmetric and antisymmetric loading and between singularities of the bending moments and the transverse shear forces. Also, stronger singularities than the classical crack tip singularity with free crack faces are observed. (© 2015 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)