Saint-Venant torsion analysis of bars with rectangular cross-section and effective coating layers

This paper investigates the torsion analysis of coated bars with a rectangular cross-section. Two opposite faces of a bar are coated by two isotropic layers with different materials of the original substrate that are perfectly bonded to the bar. With the Saint-Venant torsion theory, the governing equation of the problem in terms of the warping function is established and solved using the finite Fourier cosine transform. The state of stress on the cross-section, warping of the cross-section, and torsional rigidity of the bar are evaluated. Effects of thickness of the coating layers and material properties on these quantities are investigated. A set of graphs are provided that can be used to determine the coating thicknesses and material properties so as to keep the maximum von Mises stress on the cross-section below an allowable value for effective use of the coating layer.