

Fracture Mechanics of Composite Materials with Complex Interfaces
Abstract
In order to analyze the fracture problems of composite materials with complex interfaces, such as particle reinforced composite materials (PRCMs), we developed a new interaction integral method by which the stress intensity factors (SIFs) can be solved using an integral domain with arbitrarily complex interfaces. The interaction (energy) integral method[1] was derived from the J-integral by considering a composition of two admissible states (the actual and auxiliary fields) to obtain mode I and mode II SIFs separately for homogeneous materials. Subsequently, the interaction integral method was successfully used to solve the crack problems in functionally graded materials (FGMs)[2]. Generally, the contour integral should be converted into an equivalent domain integral in numerical computations. Since divergence theorem can not be used in a domain with material interfaces, the material properties in the integral domain are assumed to be continuous in previous studies.