Stress-assist chemical reactions front propagation in deformable solids

We consider a stress-assist chemical reaction front propagation in a deformable solid undergoing a localized chemical reaction between solid and gas constituents. The reaction is sustained by the diffusion of the gas constituent through the transformed solid material. The transformation strain produced by the chemical reaction lead to internal stresses which in turn affect the chemical reaction front kinetics. Basing on the notion of the chemical affinity tensor we formulate a kinetic equation in a form of the dependence of the front velocity on the normal component of the chemical affinity tensor. As an example we consider a planar chemical reaction front propagation in an elastic plate subjected to uniaxial tension or compression. We demonstrate the possibility of the locking effects blocking the reaction by stresses at the reaction front. We study in details how the velocity of the chemical reaction front and the locking effect depend on chemical reaction parameters and external loading. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.