Semi-Analytic Solution of Multiple Inhomogeneous Inclusions and Cracks in an Infinite Space

This work develops a semi-analytic solution for multiple inhomogeneous inclusions of arbitrary shape and cracks in an isotropic infinite space. The solution is capable of fully taking into account the interactions among any number of inhomogeneous inclusions and cracks which no reported analytic or semi-analytic solution can handle. In the solution development, a novel method combining the equivalent inclusion method (EIM) and the distributed dislocation technique (DDT) is proposed. Each inhomogeneous inclusion is modeled as a homogenous inclusion with initial eigenstrain plus unknown equivalent eigenstrain using the EIM, and each crack of mixed modes I and II is modeled as a distribution of edge climb and glide dislocations with unknown densities. All the unknown equivalent eigenstrains and dislocation densities are solved simultaneously by means of iteration using the conjugate gradient method (CGM). The fast Fourier transform algorithm is also employed to greatly improve computational efficiency. The solution is verified by the finite element method (FEM) and its capability and generality are demonstrated through the study of a few sample cases. This work has potential applications in reliability analysis of heterogeneous materials.