A note on certain stress distributions in isotropic and aeolotropic materials

Abstract

1. I. N. Sneddon has recently considered(11) the two-dimensional problem of the stress distribution due to a force uniformly distributed along a strip in the interior of a semi-infinite elastic medium by integrating the distribution due to an isolated force. The method of solution for the isolated force problem differs from that originally used by Melan(9), but both writers employ real variables. A solution of this problem, using complex variables, has been given by Stevenson and a considerable saving of labour is revealed. A complex variable method of solution for problems of stress distributions in an elastic medium bounded by a plane face was, however, given earlier by Sen(10), although he only made applications to problems in which the force system was applied to the plane face. Sen's method is somewhat different from that used by Stevenson and gives results more directly for many problems, including the problem considered by Sneddon.