The use of conservative integral in bi-material interface crack problems subjected to thermal loads

A linear bi-material elastic body containing a crack at the interface and subjected to thermal loading is analyzed. The J2 line integral, developed for mechanical loads by Khandelwal and Chandra Kishen [Khandelwal, Chandra Kishen, J.M., 2006. Complex variable method of computing Jk for bi-material interface cracks. Engineering Fracture Mechanics 73, 1568–1580] is extended to thermal loading. This method, used in conjunction with the finite element method, is shown to be useful in the prediction of stress intensity factors for cracks lying at the interface of two dissimilar materials and subjected to any type of thermal loading.