On the stress intensity factors for transient thermal loading in an orthotropic thin plate with a crack

This paper is concerned with an orthotropic thin plate containing a crack perpendicular to its surfaces. It is assumed that the transient thermal stress is set up by the application of a heat flux as a function of time and position along the crack edge and the heat flow by convection from the plate surfaces. The exact analytical solutions for the stress intensity factor and crack-opening displacement are derived. Numerical examples show, among others, a dependence of the stress intensity factor on the thermal and elastic constants of the orthotropic material.