Internal uniform hydrostatic stresses in a three-phase non-elliptical inclusion subjected to a nearby concentrated couple

Abstract

We apply conformal mapping techniques with analytic continuation to study the existence of a uniform hydrostatic stress field inside a non-elliptical inclusion bonded to an infinite matrix via a finite thickness interphase layer when the matrix is simultaneously subjected to a concentrated couple as well as uniform remote in-plane stresses. We show that the desired internal uniform hydrostatic stress field is possible for given material and geometric parameters provided a certain constraint is placed on the remote loading. Subsequently, when the single loading parameter, five material parameters and three geometric parameters are prescribed, all of the unknown complex coefficients appearing in the series representing the corresponding conformal mapping function can be uniquely determined from a set of nonlinear recurrence relations. We find that the internal uniform hydrostatic stress field, the constant mean stress in the interphase layer and the hoop stress along the inner interface on the interphase layer side are all unaffected by the existence of the concentrated couple whereas the non-elliptical shape of the (three-phase) inclusion is attributed solely to the influence of the nearby concentrated couple.