General solutions for elasticity of transversely isotropic materials with thermal and other effects: A review

Abstract

The well-known general solution for uncoupled thermoelasticity of isotropic bodies was proposed by Goodier, which has been utilized extensively since its birth in 1937. When the steady-state response is considered, the temperature field satisfies Laplace’s equation, and the corresponding elastic field can be expressed in terms of a harmonic function, giving rise to the Williams solution. However, for anisotropic bodies, there are no steady-state thermoelastic general solutions that are expressed in terms of (quasi)harmonic functions until 2000. This article presents a short review of the harmonic general solutions for uncoupled elasticity of transversely isotropic materials with thermal and other effects. These solutions are obtained by simply but forcedly combining the heat conduction equation with other governing equations (e.g., the Navier equations). We will show that the Williams solution as well as some other solutions all can be deduced as the special cases. Two application scenarios of the general solutions are also highlighted to demonstrate their elegance and versatility.