Interfacial shear stress analysis of bar and thin film bonded to 2D elastic substrate using a coupled FE–BIE method

In the present work, a Finite Element–Boundary Integral Equation (FE–BIE) coupling method is proposed to investigate the problem of axially loaded thin structures bonded to a homogeneous elastic half-plane. Making use of a mixed variational formulation including the Green function of the substrate, the axial displacement of the bar is interpolated using Lagrange polynomials of first or second order, whereas the interfacial shear stress is approximated by piecewise constant functions. Bars subject to different load conditions are investigated, including the case of a bar partially detached from the substrate. The strength of interfacial stress singularities is investigated in detail.

► Elastic thin structures bonded to a half-plane under axial forces or thermal loads are considered.
► A coupled FE–BIE method is proposed to evaluate the mechanical behaviour.
► Accurate evaluations of shear stress singularity factors are given.