Application of complex path-independent integrals to problems of bending of thin elastic plates

Abstract

Complex path-independent integrals have been already widely applied to problems of plane and antiplane elasticity for the determination of a variety of quantities of interest including stress intensity factors, loading intensities and the positions of geometrical characteristic lengths of singularities in the elastic field (like cracks, holes and inclusions). In this paper, we show that the same results apply also to the case of problems of thin isotropic elastic plates under bending where the complex-variable formulation is also valid. We make reference to the experimental methods which are appropriate for these integrals in an engineering environment and, finally, we apply this approach to the location of a circular hole in the problem of bending of a thin plate. Numerical results are also presented.