Generalized stress intensity factors in the interaction within a rectangular array of rectangular inclusions

Summary To evaluate the mechanical strength of fiber-reinforced composites, it is necessary to consider singular stresses at the end of fibers because they cause crack initiation, propagation, and final failure. A square array of rectangular inclusions under longitudinal tension is considered in this paper. The body-force method is applied to a unit cell region. Then, the problem is formulated as a system of singular integral equations, where the unknown functions are the densities of body forces distributed in infinite plates having the same elastic constants as those of the matrix and inclusions. The unknown functions are expressed as piecewise-smooth functions using power series and two types of fundamental densities which express singular stresses. Generalized stress intensity factors at the corners of inclusions are systematically calculated with varying the shape and spacing of a square array of square and rectangular inclusions.