Mode I stress intensity factor estimate for a half-penny shaped crack in a trilayer structure by reduction to a bilayer model

The stress intensity factor (SIF) of a half-penny shaped crack normal to the interface in the top layer of a three-layer bonded structure is obtained by the finite element method for a wide range of parameters. To obtain a simple estimate of the SIF, the method of reduction of an idealized cracked trilayer domain to that of a corresponding bilayer domain has been introduced based on the notion of an equivalent homogeneous material substitution for the two bottom layers. The results obtained are utilized in estimating the SIF of a small crack at the interface in a trilayer structure subjected to an indentation load based on the stress calculations in a corresponding uncracked structure. The simplification method may be useful in predicting brittle failure initiating from interfacial flaws in layered structural components with complex geometries that would normally require extensive computational modeling.