Airy Stress Function (Plane Stress Problems)

Equilibrium

xx yx + + fx = 0 x y xy yy + + fy = 0 x y
2 xx = 2 + V y 2 yy = 2 + V x 2 xy = xy
, Airy stress function

Let

V x V fy = y fx =

V, potential function

Then equilibrium conditions are automatically satisfied

 2 1 2 exx = 2 2 + (1 ) V Strains from stress-strain x E y relations 1 2 2 eyy = 2 2 + (1 ) V y E x 2 (1 + ) 2 xy = xy E

Placing these strains into the compatibility equations

2 2 2 exx eyy xy + = 2 2 y x xy

gives

2V 2V 4 4 4 +2 + = (1 ) 2 + 2 x 4 xy y 4 y x

or

4 = (1 ) 2V
biharmonic operator Laplacian operator

compatibility equation in terms of the Airy stress function

4 = (1 ) 2V
compatibility in terms of stresses

2 ( xx + yy ) = (1 + ) 2V

For no body forces

4 = 0
or

2 ( xx + yy ) = 0

Polynomial Solutions of the Homogeneous Biharmonic Equation

4 = 0
= Amn x n y m
n =1 m =1 N M

Polynomials up to third order (cubics) satisfy the biharmonic equation without any restrictions on the As. Fourth order and higher polynomials require that those coefficients be related to satisfy the biharmonic equation.