Anti-plane analysis of semi-infinite crack in piezoelectric strip

Using the complex variable function method and the technique of the conformal mapping, the fracture problem of a semi-infinite crack in a piezoelectric strip is studied under the anti-plane shear stress and the in-plane electric load. The analytic solutions of the field intensity factors and the mechanical strain energy release rate are presented under the assumption that the surface of the crack is electrically impermeable. When the height of the strip tends to infinity, the analytic solutions of an infinitely large piezoelectric solid with a semi-infinite crack are obtained. Moreover, the present results can be reduced to the well-known solutions for a purely elastic material in the absence of the electric loading. In addition, numerical examples are given to show the influences of the loaded crack length, the height of the strip, and the applied mechanical/electric loads on the mechanical strain energy release rate.