Cracking of coated materials under transient thermal stresses
The crack problem for a relatively thin layer bonded to a very thick substrate under thermal shock conditions is considered. The effect of surface cooling rate is studied by assuming the temperature boundary condition to be a ramp function. Among the crack geometries considered are the edge crack in the coating layer, the broken layer, the edge crack going through the interface, the undercoat crack in the substrate and the embedded crack crossing the interface. The primary calculated quantity is the stress intensity factor at various singular points and the main variables are the relative sizes and locations of cracks, the time, and the duration of the cooling ramp. The problem is solved and rather extensive results are given for two material pairs, namely a stainless steel layer welded on a ferritic medium and a ceramic coating on a steel substrate.