SOME APPLICATIONS OF 2-DIMENSIONAL STRESS TRANSFER ANALYSES

Two-dimensional stress transfer analyses are performed for the followi ng system: a long central plate bonded on opposite sides along its len gth to two short plates and subjected to tensile loading at its ends. The load transfers from the long plate to the short plate through the interfacial shear stress. The system represents the unit cell of plate let-reinforced composites, in which parallel matrix cracks are uniform ly spaced and are bridged by the platelet, in a two-dimensional sense. Analytical solutions for the crack opening displacement, the addition al displacement of the composite due to the presence of cracks, and st ress intensity factor at the crack tip are derived. Letting the long p late and the short plates have the same mechanical properties, the ana lytical solutions are compared to the existing numerical solutions for tensile loading of both a double edge notch strip and a semi-infinite plane with parallel edge cracks. Good agreement is obtained in this c omparison. (C) 1998 Acta Metallurgica Inc.