An image treatment of elastostatic transmission from an interface layer

A basic theorem for representing the Airy stress function for two perfectly bonded semi-infinite planes in terms of the corresponding Airy function for the unbounded homogeneous plane is applied in a systematic stepwise fashion to generate the corresponding Airy stress function for a three-phase composite comprising two semi-infinite planes separated by a thick layer. The loading of the three-phase composite is arbitrary, and may be in or near the interface layer. The basic theorem is first illustrated by applying it to an elastic medium which is bounded by two unloaded straight edges which intersect at an angle pi/n, where n is a positive integer. This example illustrates a case of a finite system of images, while the plane-layered medium problem leads to an infinite series of images. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.