The caustics method in the contact problems of anisotropic materials

Abstract

Abstract. Regions with high stress gradients represent critical zones of engineering structures such as crack tip or vicinity of the contact zone. The optical method of caustics is one of the few experimental methods which provide applicable results in these locations. This method was originally developed for crack-tip measurements of stress intensity factors and J-integral for isotropic and then for anisotropic materials. Subsequently, it was extended to contact problems where the size and shape of caustics on the screen are related to the amount and the inclination of loading force. Here, the method of caustics is extended to the analysis of contact problems for mechanically anisotropic materials. This makes the caustics method widely applicable to the analysis of any high stress gradient locations in a structure.