A statistical theory of elastic materials with micro-defects (Q1072739)

A statistical continuum elastic multiple modelling for the treatment of the mechanical properties of elastic materials with statistically distributed micro-effects is developed. It is shown that each kind of statistical distribution of discrete micro-defects may be represented approximately by a corresponding distribution of statistical continuum elastic multipoles and that all micro-defects can be treated in a uniform way. Two applications are given. The first treats the interaction problem of a macrocrack with a field of microcracks in an elastic solid. A generalized self-consistent linear integral equation for the determination of the effective (ensemble average) stress field is derived. The second is concerned with the determination of effective elastic moduli of materials with statistically distributed inhomogeneous volume defects.