The temperature field induced by the dynamic stresses of a transverse crack in periodically layered composites

The temperature field induced by the dynamic application of a far-field mechanical loading on a periodically layered material with an embedded transverse crack is investigated. To this end, the thermoelastically coupled elastodynamic and energy (heat) equations are solved by combining two approaches. In the first one, the dynamic representative cell method is employed for the construction of the time-dependent Green’s functions generated by the displacement jumps along the crack line. This is performed in conjunction with the application of the double finite discrete Fourier transform on the thermomechanically coupled equations. Thus the original problem for the cracked periodic composite is reduced to the problem of a domain with a single period in the transform space. The second approach is based on wave propagation analysis in composites where full thermomechanical coupling in the constituents exists. This analysis is based on the coupled elastodynamic-energy continuum equations where the transformed time-dependent displacement vector and temperature are expressed by second-order expansions, and the elastodynamic and energy equations and the various interfacial and boundary conditions are imposed in the average (integral) sense. The time-dependent thermomechanically coupled field at any observation point in the plane can be obtained by the application of the inverse transform. Results along the crack line as well as the full temperature field are given for cracks of various lengths for Mode I and Mode II deformations. In particular the temperature drops (cooling) at the vicinity of the crack’s tip and the heating zones at its surroundings are generated and discussed.