On delaminated thin Timoshenko inclusions inside elastic bodies

In the paper, we consider equilibrium problems for 2D elastic bodies with thin inclusions modeled in the frame of Timoshenko beam theory. It is assumed that a delamination of the inclusion takes place thus providing a presence of cracks between the inclusion and the elastic body. Nonlinear boundary conditions at the crack faces are imposed to prevent a mutual penetration between the faces. Different problem formulations are analyzed: variational and differential. Dependence on physical parameters characterizing the mechanical properties of the inclusion is investigated. The paper provides a rigorous asymptotic analysis of the model with respect to such parameters. It is proved that in the limit cases corresponding to infinite and zero rigidity, we obtain rigid inclusions and cracks with the non-penetration conditions, respectively. Also anisotropic inclusions with parameters are analyzed when parameters tend to zero and infinity. In particular, in the limit, we obtain the so called semi-rigid inclusions. Copyright (C) 2014 JohnWiley & Sons, Ltd.