Interaction between a crack and a circular elastic inclusion under remote uniform heat flow

The plane interaction problem for a circular elastic inclusion embedded in an elastic matrix with an arbitrarily oriented crack, located either in the matrix or in the inclusion under remote uniform heat flow, is considered. By using the complex variable theory and the existing solutions for dislocation functions, the thermoelastic problem of a crack in the form of an arbitrary shape in the vicinity of the interface is formulated. The integral equations for a line crack are then obtained as a system of singular integral equations with logarithmic singular kernels. The stress intensity factors, which can properly reflect the interaction between a crack and a circular inclusion, are obtained in terms of the values of the density functions of the integral equations. Several numerical examples are given to demonstrate the effects of geometrical parameters and material property combinations on the strength of the thermal stress singularity. Copyright 0 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd.