THE SURFACE CRACK PROBLEM FOR A PLATE WITH FUNCTIONALLY GRADED PROPERTIES

In this study rite plane elasticity problem for a nonhomogeneous layer containing a crack perpendicular to the boundaries is considered. It is assumed that the Young's modulus of the medium varies continuously in the thickness direction. The problem is solved under three differen t loading conditions, namely fired grip, membrane loading, and bending applied to the layer away from the crack region. Mode I stress intens ity factors are presented for embedded as well as edge cracks for vari ous values of dimensionless parameters representing the size and the l ocation of the crack and the material nonhomogeneity. Some sample resu lts are also given for the crack-opening displacement and the stress d istribution.