Diffusion-induced elastic cavitation

Abstract

The diffusion of atoms in deformable materials induces volumetric changes through inhomogeneous deformations. We show that when a radially charging solute concentration diffuses within an incompressible, homogeneous, isotropic elastic spherical particle, it can generate stress capable of opening a cavity in its interior without requiring any external load. We investigate for critical threshold by associating the particle with chemo and neo-Hookean elastic potentials. Furthermore, we analyse a pre-existing cavity and study its expansion in the most general case of Mooney–Rivlin elastic potential, determining the deformation and stress fields.