Role of interface tension in the thermoelastic analysis of inclusions: Unified formulation and closed-form results

We study the thermoelastic problem of an inclusion of general shape surrounded by a foreign elastic matrix under plane deformation and the influence of an in-plane far-field heat flux. The small-scale interface effects, related to not only interface conductivity, interface stretching rigidity and interface thermal expansion but also (residual) interface tension, are incorporated in the corresponding analysis. We establish general boundary value formulations in both heat conduction and thermoelasticity for an arbitrary inclusion shape, allowing for analytic or at least semi-analytic treatment of the problem. Specially, we derive closed-form solutions for the case of circular inclusion and obtain concise expressions for describing the remote heat flux-induced thermal stress near the interface (at both the inclusion side and matrix side). Surprisingly, it is shown that for the case of circular inclusion, interface tension plays the same role as interface stretching rigidity in determining the full thermal stress field, or in other words, the full thermal stress field depends on only the sum of interface tension and interface stretching rigidity but not on the specific value of either of them. Numerical examples are also given to illustrate the influence of interface tension on the von Mises stress distribution in the vicinity of the interface.

Automated summary

This study investigates the thermoelastic problem of a general-shaped inclusion surrounded by an elastic matrix under plane deformation, considering the interface effects and the influence of an in-plane far-field heat flux. The study establishes general boundary value formulations for arbitrary inclusion shapes and provides closed-form solutions for the case of a circular inclusion, revealing the impact of interface tension on the thermal stress field.