Fracture analysis of a functionally graded strip under plane deformation

In this paper the plane elasticity problem for a functionally graded strip containing a crack is considered. It is assumed that the reciprocal of the shear modulus is a linear function of the thickness-coordinate, while the Possion's ratio keeps constant. By utilizing the Fourier transformation technique and the transfer matrix method, the mixed boundary problem is reduced to a system of singular integral equations that are solved numerically. The influences of the geometric parameters and the graded parameter on the stress intensity factors and the strain energy release rate are investigated. The numerical results show that the graded parameters, the thickness of the strip and the crack size have significant effects on the stress intensity factors and the strain energy release rate.