Crack-tip micro-mechanical fields in layered elastic composites: Crack parallel to the interfaces (Q1282616)

We consider periodically layered bimaterial composites containing cracks parallel to the interfaces at the mid-plane of a layer. The analytical solutions of the plane elastostatic problems under mode-I, mode-II and mixed-mode loading conditions are presented and equations for the crack-tip micro-mechanical fields are developed using principles of asymptotic homogenization and the method of complex elastic potentials. An elastic stress singularity of order \(r^{-1/2}\) is shown to exist. The dominating stress intensity factors are found to match with the corresponding values for the equivalent homogeneous orthotropic system. For all cases considered, we define directly in terms of stress functions the stress intensity factors dominating the micro-stress field. We also present comparisons of the analytical results with numerical solutions obtained via refined finite element analyses.