Stress concentration around a strongly oblate spheroidal cavity in a transversely isotropic medium

Abstract

Expressions for the Eshelby tensor of a strongly oblate spheroidal region in a transversely isotropic medium are given explicitly. Based on the equivalent inclusion method, three dimensional stress concentration around the spherodal cavity subjected to remote uniform loading is analyzed and the associated stress concentration factor is determined. Analogously to two-dimensional blunted cracks, the so called stress rounding factor is introduced so that the connection between the crack tip stress and the stress intensity factor in linear fracture mechanics is established. Numerical values of the stress rounding factor for several representative cases of transversely isotropic symmetry are given.