Modified boundary layer analysis of an electrode in an electrostrictive material

A thin electrode embedded in an electrostrictive material under electric loading is investigated. In order to obtain an asymptotic form of electric fields and elastic fields near the electrode edge, we consider a modified boundary layer problem of an electrode in an electrostrictive material under the small scale saturation condition. The exact electric solution for the electrode is obtained by using the complex function theory. It is found that the shape of the electric displacement saturation zone is sensitive to the transverse electric displacement. A perturbation solution of stress fields induced by incompatible electrostrictive strains for the small value of the transverse electric displacement is obtained. The influence of transverse electric displacement on a microcrack initiation from the electrode edge is also discussed.     

A Crack with an Electric Displacement Saturation Zone in an Electrostrictive Material

A crack with an electric displacement saturation zone in an electrostrictive material under purely electric loading is analyzed. A strip saturation model is here employed to investigate the effect of the electrical polarization saturation on electric fields and elastic fields. A closed form solution of electric fields and elastic fields for the crack with the strip saturation zone is obtained by using the complex function theory. It is found that the K _I -dominant region is very small compared to the strip saturation zone. The generalized Dugdale zone model is also employed in order to investigate the effect of the saturation zone shape on the stress intensity factor. Using the body force analogy, the stress intensity factor for the asymptotic problem of a crack with an elliptical saturation zone is evaluated numerically.     

Stress intensity factors for an interface crack with impermeable surfaces between dissimilar electrostrictive materials

The asymptotic problem of a semi-infinite interface crack between dissimilar electrostrictive materials that are subjected to electric loading is numerically analyzed by using the finite element method. Numerical results of electric displacement fields are obtained on the basis of the mathematical equivalence of the mode III problem and an electrostatic problem. The shape and the size of saturation zones are explored as a function of the ratio of the saturated electric displacements of dissimilar electrostrictive materials. In contrast with conventional wisdom, the ratio of the permittivities is shown to exert a negligibly small influence on electric displacement fields. For various combinations of the material properties of dissimilar electrostrictive materials, stress fields and stress intensity factors are systemically calculated by using the numerical results of electric displacement fields. The effects of the electric, elastic, and electrostrictive properties on stress intensity factors are demonstrated.     

Numerical analysis of an electrode embedded between dissimilar electrostrictive materials

The asymptotic problem of an electrode that is embedded between dissimilar electrostrictive materials and subjected to electric loading is numerically analyzed by using the finite element method. Electrostatic analysis for the asymptotic problem is conducted under the small-scale saturation condition on the basis of the mathematical equivalence between anti-plane shearing and electrostatics. The distribution of the electric displacement fields is obtained. It is shown that the shapes of the saturation zones are affected by the ratios of the permittivities and the saturated electric displacements between the dissimilar electrostrictive materials. Stress fields that are generated for matching incompatible strains, which are induced by non-uniform electric displacement fields, are numerically calculated for various combinations of the material properties. Also, stress intensity factors for arbitrary small cracks that are initiated from the edge of an electrode are evaluated. Behaviors of cracking that may take place at the edge of an electrode are discussed.     

Complex variable approach in studying modified polarization saturation model in two-dimensional semipermeable piezoelectric media

A modified polarization saturation model is proposed and addressed mathematically using a complex variable approach in two-dimensional(2 D) semipermeable piezoelectric media. In this model, an existing polarization saturation(PS) model in 2D piezoelectric media is modified by considering a linearly varying saturated normal electric displacement load in place of a constant normal electric displacement load, applied on a saturated electric zone. A centre cracked infinite 2D piezoelectric domain subject to an arbitrary poling direction and in-plane electromechanical loadings is considered for the analytical and numerical studies. Here, the problem is mathematically modeled as a non-homogeneous Riemann-Hilbert problem in terms of unknown complex potential functions representing electric displacement and stress components. Having solved the Hilbert problem, the solutions to the saturated zone length, the crack opening displacement(COD), the crack opening potential(COP), and the local stress intensity factors(SIFs) are obtained in explicit forms. A numerical study is also presented for the proposed modified model, showing the effects of the saturation condition on the applied electrical loading, the saturation zone length, and the COP. The results of fracture parameters obtained from the proposed model are compared with the existing PS model subject to electrical loading, crack face conditions, and polarization angles.     

Non-local theory solution for a Mode I crack in piezoelectric materials

In this paper, the non-local theory of elasticity is applied to obtain the behavior of a Griffith crack in the piezoelectric materials subjected to a uniform tension loading. The permittivity of the air in the crack is considered. By means of the Fourier transform, the problem can be solved with the help of two pairs of dual integral equations, in which the unknown variables are the jumps of the displacements across the crack surfaces. To solve the dual integral equations, the jumps of the displacements across the crack surfaces are expanded in a series of Jacobi polynomials. Numerical examples are provided to show the effects of the crack length, the materials constants, the electric boundary conditions and the lattice parameter on the stress and the electric displacement fields near the crack tips. It can be obtained that the effects of the electric boundary conditions on the electric displacement fields are large. Unlike the classical elasticity solutions, it is found that no stress and electric displacement singularities are present at the crack tips. The non-local elastic solutions yield a finite hoop stress at the crack tips, thus allowing us to use the maximum stress as a fracture criterion.     

Effect of electric displacement saturation on the stress intensity factor for a crack in a ferroelectric ceramic

A crack in a ferroelectric ceramic with perfect saturation under electric loading is analyzed. The boundary of the electric displacement saturation zone ahead of the crack tip is assumed to be ellipse in shape. The shape and size of ferroelectric domain switching zone near a crack tip is determined based on the nonlinear electric theory. The stress intensity factor induced by ferroelectric domain switching under small-scale conditions is numerically obtained as a function of the electric saturation zone parameter and the ratio of the coercive electric field to the yield electric field. It is found that the stress intensity factor increases as the ratio of the semi-axes of the saturation ellipse increases.     

On interface crack models with contact zones situated in an anisotropic bimaterial

Summary A boundary value problem for two semi-infinite anisotropic spaces with mixed boundary conditions at the interface is considered. Assuming that the displacements are independent of the coordinate x ₃, stresses and derivatives of displacement jumps are expressed via a sectionally holomorphic vector function. By means of these relations the problem for an interface crack with an artificial contact zone in an orthotropic bimaterial is reduced to a combined Dirichlet-Riemann problem which is solved analytically. As a particular case of this solution, the contact zone model (in Comninou's sense) is derived. A simple transcendental equation and an asymptotic formula for the determination of the real contact zone length are obtained. The classical interface crack model with oscillating singularities at the crack tips is derived from the obtained solution as well. Analytical relations between fracture mechanical parameters of different models are found, and recommendations concerning their implementation are given. The dependencies of the contact zone lengths on material properties and external load coefficients are illustrated in graphical form. The practical applicability of the obtained results is demonstrated by means of a FEM analysis of a finite-sized orthotropic bimaterial with an interface crack. Received 19 October 1998; accepted for publication 13 November 1998     

A small-scale magnetic-yielding model for an infinite magnetostrictive plane with a crack-like flaw

The effect of an external magnetic field on the fracture toughness of magnetostrictive materials has been investigated by determining the local stress fields around the tip of a very slender elliptical flaw embedded in an infinite magnetostrictive plane subjected to magnetic loading, based on the assumption of linear magnetization. In this paper, the above-mentioned analytical approach is extended to develop a small-scale magnetic-yielding model. The magnetic saturation zone is constructed and the distributions of magnetic field and magnetization are obtained around the tip of a slender elliptical crack. Based on the complex potential theory, the stress field is obtained in the vicinity of the tip of the slender elliptical crack by implementing the continuity conditions of displacement and resultant force at the interface between the magnetic saturation and magnetoelastic zones. The stress fields near the tip of the slender elliptical crack are obtained for two kinds of soft ferromagnetic materials each with a small induction magnetostrictive modulus. The theoretical results obtained show that the stresses in the neighborhood of a crack-tip are finite even when the elliptical crack reduces to a sharp crack, and are much smaller than the yield stress or the nominal fracture stress of the material. This suggests that, generally, the magnetic field has no obvious effects on the apparent fracture toughness of soft ferromagnetic materials, which is in agreement with the existing experimental results published in the existing literature. In addition, the theoretical analysis illustrates that no crack is magnetically impermeable, and the corresponding boundary conditions are inappropriate for fracture analysis of soft ferromagnetic materials.     

Numerical solution of polarization saturation/dielectric breakdown model in 2D finite piezoelectric media

The polarization saturation (PS) model [Gao, H., Barnett, D.M., 1996. An invariance property of local energy release rates in a strip saturation model of piezoelectric fracture. Int. J. Fract. 79, R25–R29; Gao, H., Zhang, T.Y., Tong, P., 1997. Local and global energy release rates for an electrically yielded crack in a piezoelectric ceramic. J. Mech. Phys. Solids 45, 491–510], and the dielectric breakdown (DB) model [Zhang, T.Y., Zhao, M.H., Cao, C.F., 2005. The strip dielectric breakdown model. Int. J. Fract. 132, 311–327] explain very well some experimental observations of fracture of piezoelectric ceramics. In this paper, the nonlinear hybrid extended displacement discontinuity-fundamental solution method (NLHEDD-FSM) is presented for numerical analysis of both the PS and DB models of two-dimensional (2D) finite piezoelectric media under impermeable and semi-permeable electric boundary conditions. In this NLHEDD-FSM, the solution is expressed approximately by a linear combination of fundamental solutions of the governing equations, which includes the extended point force fundamental solutions with sources placed at chosen points outside the domain of the problem under consideration, and the extended Crouch fundamental solutions with extended displacement discontinuities placed on the crack and the electric yielding zone. The coefficients of the fundamental solutions are determined by letting the approximated solution satisfy certain conditions on the boundary of the domain, on the crack face and the electric yielding zone. The zero electric displacement intensity factor in the PS model or the zero electric field strength intensity factor in the DB model at the outer tips of the electric yielding zone is used as a supplementary condition to determine the size of the electric yielding zone. Iteration approaches are adopted in the NLHEDD-FSM. The electric yielding zone is determined, and the extended intensity factors and the local J-integral are calculated for center cracks in piezoelectric strips. The effects of finite domain size, saturation property and different electric boundary conditions, as well as different models on the electric yielding zone and the local J-integral, are studied.     

Solution of a flat elliptical crack in an electrostrictive solid

Based on the assumption that the elastic strain of electrostrictive materials is a higher-order small quantity, this paper studies the 3D problem of an infinite electrostrictive solid with a flat elliptical crack which is electrically permeable. According to existing solutions of similar problems in pure elastic materials, with the displacement function method, we first derived explicit expression for displacement potential function and obtained stress field near the crack and open displacement of crack surface. Then, the general solution for the stress intensity factor was derived, and the corresponding solutions were also presented for a penny-shaped crack and a permeable line-crack as two special cases of the present problem. Finally, numerical results were given to discuss the effect of environment at infinity and electric field inside the crack on the stress-intensity factors.     

Sufficient criterion of fracture in the case with a complex stress state and non-proportional deformation of the material in the pre-fracture zone

A general case of proportional loading with a complex stress state of the material in the pre-fracture zone, which is typical for polycrystalline solids with plastic deformation, is considered. A sufficient criterion of fracture is proposed for the case of a complex stress state with non-proportional deformation of the material in the pre-fracture zone. Critical parameters of fracture (pre-fracture zone length and load) for cracks propagating in quasi-brittle materials are obtained with the use of a modified Leonov-Panasyuk-Dugdale model. The pre-fracture zone width is determined by solving the problem of the plasticity theory in the vicinity of the crack tip. The proposed modification of the Leonov-Panasyuk-Dugdale model makes it possible to estimate the critical opening of the crack and the critical displacement of the crack flanks. Inequalities that describe different mechanisms of material fracture under proportional loading (predominantly shear fracture mechanism and fracture mechanism through cleavage) are derived.     

Periodic set of limited electrically permeable interface cracks with contact zones

Plane problem for an infinite space composed of two different piezoelectric or piezoelectric/dielectric semi-infinite spaces with a periodic set of limited electrically permeable interface cracks is considered. Uniformly distributed electromechanical loading is applied at infinity. The frictionless contact zones at the crack tips are taken into account. The problem is reduced to the combined Dirichlet–Riemann boundary value problem by means of the electromechanical factors presentation via sectionally analytic functions, assuming that the electric flux is uniformly distributed inside the cracks. An exact solution of the problem is proposed. It permits to find in a closed form all necessary electromechanical characteristics at the interface and to formulate the equation for the determination of the electric flux value. Analysis of this equation confirms the correctness of the assumption concerning the uniform distribution of the electric flux in the crack region.Formulae for stresses, electric displacement vector, elastic displacements and electric potential jump at the interface as well as the intensity factors at the crack tips are given. Equation for the contact zone length determination is presented. Calculations for certain material combinations are carried out. The influence of electric permeability of cracks on electromechanical fields and the fracture mechanical parameters is analyzed.     

Pre-kinking of a moving crack in a magnetoelectroelastic material under in-plane loading

A constant moving crack in a magnetoelectroelastic material under in-plane mechanical, electric and magnetic loading is studied for impermeable crack surface boundary conditions. Fourier transform is employed to reduce the mixed boundary value problem of the crack to dual integral equations, which are solved exactly. Steady-state asymptotic fields near the crack tip are obtained in closed form and the corresponding field intensity factors are expressed explicitly. The crack speed influences the singular field distribution around the crack tip and the effects of electric and magnetic loading on the crack tip fields are discussed. The crack kinking phenomena is investigated using the maximum hoop stress intensity factor criterion. The magnitude of the maximum hoop stress intensity factor tends to increase as the crack speed increases.     

Effects of electric field on crack growth for a penny-shaped dielectric crack in a piezoelectric layer

The assumptions of impermeable and permeable cracks give rise to significant errors in determining electro-elastic behavior of a cracked piezoelectric material. The former simply imposes that the permittivity or electric displacement of the crack interior vanishes, and the latter neglects also the effects of the dielectric of an opening crack interior. Considering the presence of the dielectric of an opening crack interior and the permeability of the crack surfaces for electric field, this paper analyzes electro-elastic behavior induced by a penny-shaped dielectric crack in a piezoelectric ceramic layer. In the cases of prescribed displacement or prescribed stress at the layer surfaces, the Hankel transform technique is employed to reduce the problem to Fredholm integral equations with a parameter dependent nonlinearly on the unknown functions. For an infinite piezoelectric space, a closed-form solution can be derived explicitly, while for a piezoelectric layer, an iterative technique is suggested to solve the resulting nonlinear equations. Field intensity factors are obtained in terms of the solution of the equations. Numerical results of the crack opening displacement intensity factors are presented for a cracked PZT-5H layer and the effect of applied electric field on crack growth are examined for both cases. The results indicate that the fracture toughness of a piezoelectric ceramic is affected by the direction of applied electric fields, dependent on the elastic boundary conditions.     

Electromechanical impact of an impermeable parallel crack in a functionally graded piezoelectric strip

The dynamic fracture problem for a functionally graded piezoelectric material (FGPM) strip containing a crack parallel to the free boundaries is considered in this study. It is assumed that the electroelastic properties of the strip vary continuously along the thickness direction of the strip, and that the strip is under the in-plane mechanical and electric impact. Integral transform techniques and dislocation density functions are employed to reduce the problem to the solutions of a system of singular integral equations. The dynamic stress and electric displacement intensity factors versus time are presented for various values of dimensionless parameters representing the crack size, the crack location, the material nonhomogeneity and the loading combination.     

Effect of electric fields on fracture behavior of ferroelectric ceramics

The asymptotic problem of a semi-infinite crack perpendicular to the poling direction in a ferroelectric ceramic subjected to combined electric and mechanical loading is analyzed to investigate effect of electric fields on fracture behavior. Electromechanical coupling induced by the piezoelectric effect is neglected in this paper. The shape and size of the switching zone is shown to depend strongly on the relative magnitude between the applied electric field and stress field as well as on the ratio of the coercive electric field to the yield electric field. A universal relation between the crack tip stress intensity factor and the applied intensity factors of stress and electric field under small-scale conditions is obtained from the solution of the switching zone. It is found that the ratio of the coercive electric field to the yield electric field plays a significant role in determining the enhancement or reduction of the crack tip stress intensity factor. The fracture toughness variation of ferroelectrics under combined electric and mechanical loading is also discussed.     

Stable crack growth along a brittle\ductile interface—II. Small scale yielding solutions and interfacial toughness predictions

The problem of a crack growing steadily and quasi-statically along a brittle\ductile interface under plane strain, mixed mode, and small scale yielding conditions is considered. The ductile material is assumed to be characterized by the J₂-flow theory of plasticity with linear strain hardening, while the brittle material is assumed to be linear elastic. A displacement-based finite element method, exploiting the convective nature of the problem, is utilized to solve the relevant boundary value problem. In Part I of this work, the corresponding asymptotic problem was solved. This paper addresses the full-field problem in order to validate the asymptotic solutions, and to explore the physical implications of the results. The numerical full-field results are found to be in good agreement with the analytical asymptotic solutions. In particular, the full-field results strongly suggest that the stress fields in the vicinity of the crack tip are variable-separable of the power singular type; and also that the mode mix of the near-tip stress fields is, to a large extent, independent of the applied elastic mode mix. The amplitude (the plastic stress intensity factor) and the regions of validity of the asymptotic fields are estimated from the full-field results, and are observed to be strongly dependent on the applied mode mix. The remote elastic loading fields appear to influence the near-tip fields, primarily, through the plastic stress intensity factor. The present work also explores the suggestion made by Bose and Ponte Castaneda, 1992 that the solutions to the small scale yielding problem may be used in the context of a standard crack growth criterion, requiring that continued growth take place with a fixed near-tip crack opening profile, to obtain theoretical predictions for the dependence of interfacial toughness on the applied mode mix. Based on the numerical results, predictions for mixed mode toughness of the brittle\ductile interface are reported. The results, which are in qualitative agreement with available experimental data and also with some recent theoretical results, predict a strong dependence of interfacial toughness on mode mix. This suggests that ductility provides the main operating mechanism for explaining the dependence of interfacial toughness on the mode mix of the applied loading fields, during steady crack growth.     

Limited permeable crack in an interlayer between piezoelectric materials with different zones of electrical saturation and mechanical yielding

A plane problem for two identical piezoelectric semi-infinite spaces adhered by means of a thin isotropic interlayer is considered. It is assumed that a crack of a limited electric permeability occurs in the interlayer parallel to its faces. Combined electromechanical loading is prescribed at infinity. It is assumed that the interlayer is softer than the adherent materials. To avoid the singularities, which are typical for the Griffith crack model, two distinct zones – a zone of mechanical yielding and a zone of electrical saturation – of unknown lengths are introduced as crack continuations. These lengths can be essentially different, with the zone of mechanical yielding significantly longer or shorter than the zone of electrical saturation. Assuming that the interlayer thickness tends to zero, a constant normal stress is prescribed in the zone of mechanical yielding and a saturated electrical displacement is prescribed in the zone of electrical saturation. Outside of these zones, the semi-infinite spaces are assumed to be perfectly bonded. This formulation results in a linear fracture mechanics problem with unknown pre-fracture zone lengths. The problem, formulated mathematically by a system of two equations of linear relationship, is solved exactly. The unknown yield and saturated zones lengths are found from the conditions of finiteness of stress and electrical displacement at the ends of these zones for the both cases when the electrical saturated zone is longer and shorter than the zone of mechanical yielding. It is shown that the same equation as for the Griffith crack model can be used for the determination of the electrical displacement in the crack region. The main results of the paper are obtained in the form of simple analytical equations which are convenient for engineering applications. Some numerical illustrations in graphical and tabular form show dependencies of the pre-fracture zone lengths, the energy release rate, the mechanical displacement and electrical potential jumps on the electromechanical loading and the electrical permeability of the crack medium.     

Applicability of the crack faces thermoelectric boundary conditions for thermopiezoelectric materials

The applicability and effect of the crack surfaces thermoelectric boundary conditions in thermopiezoelectric fracture mechanics problem are discussed by using the finite thickness notch approach. The stress and electric displacement intensity factors at the notch tips, and thermal flux and electric displacement inside the notch are derived in closed-form. The numerical results are compared with the ideal crack solutions. It is found that the electrically impermeable crack boundary condition assumption is reasonable if the flaw in the material is a notch with finite width, and the thermal conductivity of air or vacuum inside the crack must be considered.