Spatial Estimates for the Constrained Anisotropic Elastic Cylinder

Abstract

This paper establishes spatial estimates in a prismatic (semi-infinite) cylinder occupied by an anisotropic homogeneous linear elastic material, whose elasticity tensor is strongly elliptic. The cylinder is maintained in equilibrium under zero body force, zero displacement on the lateral boundary and pointwise specified displacement over the base. The other plane end is subject to zero displacement (when the cylinder is finite, say). The limiting case of a semi-infinite cylinder is also considered and zero displacement on the remote end (at large distance) is not assumed in this case. A first approach is developed by considering two mean-square cross-sectional measures of the displacement vector whose spatial evolution with respect to the axial variable is studied by means of a technique based on a second-order differential inequality. Conditions on the elastic constants are derived that show the cross-sectional measures exhibit alternative behaviour and in particular for the semi-infinite cylinder that there is either at least exponential growth or at most exponential decay. A second approach considers cross-sectional integrals involving the displacement and its gradient and furnishes information upon the spatial evolution, without restricting the range of strongly elliptic elastic constants. Such models are principally based upon a first-order differential inequality as well as on one of second order. The general results are explicitly presented for transversely isotropic materials and graphically illustrated for a cortical bone.