A circular inclusion with a nonuniform interphase layer in anti-plane shear

An analytical solution is derived for the problem of a nonuniformly coated circular inclusion in an unbounded matrix under anti-plane deformations. The inclusion/interphase/matrix system is subject to (1) remote uniform shear and uniform eigenstrain imposed on the circular inclusion, and (2) a screw dislocation or a point force in the matrix. It is found that the varying interphase thickness will exert a significant influence on the nonuniform stress field within the circular inclusion, and on the direction and magnitude of the image force acting on a screw dislocation. In the course of development, it is found that the presence of certain coated inclusions, which are termed stealth, will not cause change of elastic energy in the body. The derived analytical solution for a screw dislocation is then employed as Green’s function to investigate a radial matrix crack interacting with the nonuniformly coated inclusion. The numerical results show that the varying interphase thickness will also affect the stress intensity factors.