Amdrea Piccolroaz

Boundary integral formulation for interfacial cracks in thermodiffusive bimaterials

An original boundary integral formulation is proposed for the problem of a semi-infinite crack at the interface between two dissimilar elastic materials in the presence of heat flows and mass diffusion. Symmetric and skew-symmetric weight function matrices are used together with a generalized Bettis reciprocity theorem in order to derive a system of integral equations that relate the applied loading, the temperature and mass concentration fields, the heat and mass fluxes on the fracture surfaces and the resulting crack opening. The obtained integral identities can have many relevant applications, such as for the modelling of crack and damage processes at the interface between different components in electrochemical energy devices characterized by multi-layered structures (solid oxide fuel cells and lithium ions batteries).

Dynamic energy release rate in couple-stress elasticity

This paper is concerned with energy release rate for dynamic steady state crack problems in elastic materials with microstructures. A Mode III semi-infinite crack subject to loading applied on the crack surfaces is considered. The micropolar behaviour of the material is described by the theory of couple-stress elasticity developed by Koiter. A general expression for the dynamic J-integral including both traslational and micro-rotational inertial contributions is derived, and the conservation of this integral on a path surrounding the crack tip is demonstrated.

Floquet–Bloch Waves in Periodic Networks of Rayleigh Beams: Cellular System, Dispersion Degenerations, and Structured Connection Regions

The paper is dedicated to Professor N. F. Morozov on the occasion of his 85th birthday. In the paper, we consider new dispersive properties of elastic flexural waves in periodic structures with rotational inertia. The structure is represented as a lattice with elementary bonds of Rayleightype beams. Although such beams in the semiclassical regime react as the classical Euler–Bernoulli beams, they exhibit new interesting characteristics as the dispersion frequency of flexural waves increases. Special attention is paid to degenerate cases related to the so-called Dirac cones on dispersion surfaces and to the directed anisotropy for the doubly periodic lattice. A comparative analysis accompanied by numerical simulation is carried out for the Floquet–Bloch waves propagating in periodic flexible lattices of different geometry.