On the effect of local heating of viscoelastic bodies with stress concentrators under cyclic loading (Q2754670)

In the paper some specific features of the localized form of thermal fatigue failure are investigated. Characteristic for this form is the presence of a narrow band of melt of polymer which is formed and developed in a vicinity of the stress concentrator under sufficiently high loadings. The conjugate problem of thermoviscoelasticity for plane stress includes equations of motion, the heat conduction equation and constitutive equations of linear viscoelasticity together with initial (for temperature) and boundary conditions at the plate contour. The problem of dynamic in-plane bending under conditions of convective heat exchange at the boundary is solved by the finite element method. Plots of the maximal in volume temperature and location of the isotherm corresponding to the melting temperature are presented. Prognosis concerning possible fatigue failure of the body are made.