Fracture behaviors of piezoelectric materials

Theoretical analyses and experimental observations of the failure and fracture behaviors of piezoelectric materials are presented. The theoretical analyses are based on the Stroh formalism. A strip dielectric breakdown model is proposed to estimate the effect of electrical non-linearity on the piezoelectric fracture of electrically insulated cracks. The reviewed experiments include the indentation fracture test, the bending test on smooth samples, the fracture test on pre-notched or pre-cracked samples, the environment-assisted fracture test, etc. For electrically insulated cracks, the experimental results show a complicated fracture behavior under combined electrical and mechanical loading. Fracture data are greatly scattered when a static electric field is applied. For electrically conducting cracks, the experimental results demonstrate that static electric fields can fracture poled and depoled lead zirconate titanate (PZT) ceramics. A charge-free zone model is introduced to understand the failure behavior of conducting cracks in the depoled lead zirconate titanate ceramics under electrical and/or mechanical loading. These theoretical and experimental results indicate that fracture mechanics concepts are useful in the study of the failure behaviors of piezoelectric materials.     

Method to evaluate the invariant J-integral in finite-element models of prismatic bodies

A new method to evaluate the J-integral in finite-element models is developed and implemented. It is shown that in contrast to well-known approaches, this method ensures the invariance of the J-integral in finite-element solution of linear and nonlinear problems Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika, Vol. 44, No. 12, pp. 70–82, December 2008.     

Invariant formulation of the electromechanical enthalpy function of transversely isotropic piezoelectric materials

Summary Theoretical and numerical aspects of the formulation of electromechanically coupled, transversely isotropic solids are discussed within the framework of the invariant theory. The main goal is the representation of the governing constitutive equations for reversible material behaviour based on an anisotropic electromechanical enthalpy function, which automatically fulfills the requirements of material symmetry. The introduction of a preferred direction in the argument list of the enthalpy function allows the construction of isotropic tensor functions, which reflect the inherent geometrical and physical symmetries of the polarized medium. After presenting the general framework, we consider two important model problems within this setting: i) the linear piezoelectric solid; and ii) the nonlinear electrostriction. A parameter identification of the invariant- and the common coordinate-dependent formulation is performed for both cases. The tensor generators for the stresses, electric displacements and the moduli are derived in detail, and some representative numerical examples are presented.We thank Dipl.-Ing. H. Romanowski for his support and helpful remarks.     

Moving eccentric crack in a piezoelectric strip bonded to elastic materials

Summary  The steady-state of a propagation eccentric crack in a piezoelectric ceramic strip bonded between two elastic materials under combined anti-plane mechanical shear and in-plane electrical loadings is considered in this paper. The analysis based on the integral transform approach is conducted on the permeable crack condition. Field intensity factors and energy release rate are obtained in terms of a Fredholm integral equation of the second kind. It is shown for this geometry that the crack propagation speed has influence on the dynamic energy release rate. The initial crack branching angle for a PZT-5H piezoceramic structure is predicted by the maximum energy release rate criterion. Received 23 January 2001; accepted for publication 18 October 2001     

Computational modeling of rate-dependent domain switching in piezoelectric materials

In this contribution a micromechanically motivated model for rate-dependent switching effects in piezoelectric materials is developed. The proposed framework is embedded into a three-dimensional finite element setting whereby each element is assumed to represent an individual grain. Related dipole (polarization) directions are thereby initially randomly oriented at the element level to realistically capture the originally un-poled state of grains in the bulk ceramics. The onset of domain switching processes is based on a representative energy criterion and combined with a linear kinetics theory accounting for time-dependent propagation of domain walls during switching processes. In addition, grain boundary effects are incorporated by making use of a macromechanically motivated probabilistic approach. Standard volume-averaging techniques with respect to the response on individual grains in the bulk ceramics are later on applied to obtain representative hysteresis and butterfly curves under macroscopically uniaxial loading conditions at different loading frequencies. It turns out that the simulations based on the developed finite element formulation nicely match experimental data reported in the literature.     

Some half-space problems of cubic piezoelectric materials

Half-space problems of a cubic piezoelectric material subjected to anti-plane deformation and in-plane electric field are studied. A general solution in terms of the integration of the boundary data prescribed over the surface of the semi-infinite domain is derived. Based on the general solution, the problem of a concentrated line force acting on the surface is treated and ensuing electromechanical response is determined. The solution to the problem of a screw dislocation in the half-space is also obtained, and the result is exploited to study a sub-surface crack problem by simulating the crack as a continuous distribution of dislocations.     

Dynamic response of a crack in a functionally graded interface of two dissimilar piezoelectric half-planes

Summary  In this paper, the dynamic anti-plane crack problem of two dissimilar homogeneous piezoelectric materials bonded through a functionally graded interfacial region is considered. Integral transforms are employed to reduce the problem to Cauchy singular integral equations. Numerical results illustrate the effect of the loading combination parameter λ, material property distribution and crack configuration on the dynamic stress and electric displacement intensity factors. It is found that the presence of the dynamic electric field could impede of enhance the crack propagation depending on the time elapsed and the direction of applied electric impact. Received 4 December 2001; accepted for publication 9 July 2002 This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China through Grant No. 10132010.     

Analysis of cracked functionally graded piezoelectric strip

The fracture behavior of a cracked strip under antiplane mechanical and inplane electrical loading is studied. A functionally graded piezoelectric strip with exponential material gradation is under consideration. The mechanical and electrical loading is combined via loading coupling factor. The problem of a graded piezoelectric strip containing a screw dislocation is solved. This solution results in stress and electric displacement components with Cauchy singularity. Based on the solution achieved for the dislocation, the distributed dislocation technique (DDT) is utilized to form any geometry of multiple cracks and analyze the behavior of a cracked strip under antiplane mechanical and inplane electrical loading. This technique is capable of the analysis of a strip with a system of interacting cracks. Several examples including strips with single crack, two straight cracks and two curved cracks are presented.     

Tuning of band gaps for a two-dimensional piezoelectric phononic crystal with a rectangular lattice

In this paper, the elastic wave propagation in a two-dimensional piezoelectric phononic crystal is studied by considering the mechanic-electric coupling. The generalized eigenvalue equation is obtained by the relation of the mechanic and electric fields as well as the Bloch-Floquet theorem. The band structures of both the in-plane and anti-plane modes are calculated for a rectangular lattice by the planewave expansion method. The effects of the lattice constant ratio and the piezoelectricity with different filling fractions are analyzed. The results show that the largest gap width is not always obtained for a square lattice. In some situations, a rectangular lattice may generate larger gaps. The band gap characteristics are influenced obviously by the piezoelectricity with the larger lattice constant ratios and the filling fractions.     

Solutions to a limited-permeable crack or two limited-permeable collinear cracks in piezoelectric/piezomagnetic materials

The solutions of a limited-permeable crack (case I) or two collinear limited-permeable cracks (case II) in piezoelectric/piezomagnetic materials subjected to a uniform tension loading were investigated in this paper using the generalized Almansi’s theorem. At the same time, the electric permittivity and the magnetic permeability of air in crack were firstly considered. Through the Fourier transform, the problem can be solved with the help of two pairs of dual integral equations, in which the unknown variables were jumps of displacements across crack surfaces, not the dislocation density functions or the complex variable functions. To solve the dual integral equations, the jumps of displacements across crack surfaces were directly expanded in a series of Jacobi polynomials to obtain the relations among electric displacement intensity factors, magnetic flux intensity factors and stress intensity factors at crack tips.     

The application of asymptotic solutions to characterising the process zone in almost complete frictionless contacts

A method is developed for characterising the nature of the plastic zone which develops along the boundary of any notionally complete frictionless contact but where, in practice, there is some small rounding. The approach consists of an outer asymptote, the solution for a semi-infinite square ended rigid punch, whose validity sets the upper limit to the load, and a nested inner asymptote, the solution for a semi-infinite rounded punch, which sets the lower limit to the load. The technique is applied, as an example, to a circular punch, and explicit values of the load given to ensure that the singular field characterises the local stress field to within a given degree of accuracy.     

Investigation of the crack problem in non-local piezoelectric materials under combined electromechanical loadings

The present investigation of the crack problem in piezoelectric materials is performed based on the non-local theory. After some manipulations, the impermeable crack, the permeable crack （the crack gap is full of NaCI solution）, and the semi-permeable crack （the crack gap is full of air or silicon oil） are reduced to a uniform formulation by assuming the normal electric displacement on the crack surfaces to be an unknown variable. Thus, a triple integral equation with the unknown normal electric displacement is established. By using the Newton iterative method and solving the triple integral equation, it is found that the normal electric displacement on the crack surfaces is no longer a constant as determined by previous studies, rather, it depends upon the remote combined electromechanical loadings. Numerical results of the stresses and electric displacement fields show that there are no singularities at the crack tips so that the stresses remain finite. It is of great significance that the concrete electric boundary condition on the crack surfaces exerts significant influence on the near-tip fields and in this way plays an important role in evaluating the crack stability in the non-local piezoelectric materials. More specifically, the impermeable crack model always overestimates the finite stresses at the crack tips, whereas the permeable crack model always underestimates them.     

Asymptotic expansion homogenization of discrete fine-scale models with rotational degrees of freedom for the simulation of quasi-brittle materials

Discrete fine-scale models, in the form of either particle or lattice models, have been formulated successfully to simulate the behavior of quasi-brittle materials whose mechanical behavior is inherently connected to fracture processes occurring in the internal heterogeneous structure. These models tend to be intensive from the computational point of view as they adopt an “a priori” discretization anchored to the major material heterogeneities (e.g. grains in particulate materials and aggregate pieces in cementitious composites) and this hampers their use in the numerical simulations of large systems. In this work, this problem is addressed by formulating a general multiple scale computational framework based on classical asymptotic analysis and that (1) is applicable to any discrete model with rotational degrees of freedom; and (2) gives rise to an equivalent Cosserat continuum. The developed theory is applied to the upscaling of the Lattice Discrete Particle Model (LDPM), a recently formulated discrete model for concrete and other quasi-brittle materials, and the properties of the homogenized model are analyzed thoroughly in both the elastic and the inelastic regime. The analysis shows that the homogenized micropolar elastic properties are size-dependent, and they are functions of the RVE size and the size of the material heterogeneity. Furthermore, the analysis of the homogenized inelastic behavior highlights issues associated with the homogenization of fine-scale models featuring strain-softening and the related damage localization. Finally, nonlinear simulations of the RVE behavior subject to curvature components causing bending and torsional effects demonstrate, contrarily to typical Cosserat formulations, a significant coupling between the homogenized stress–strain and couple-curvature constitutive equations.     

An anti-plane propagating crack in a functionally graded piezoelectric strip bonded to a homogeneous piezoelectric strip

Summary A finite crack propagating at constant speed in a functionally graded piezoelectric strip (FGPS) bonded to a homogeneous piezoelectric strip is considered. It is assumed that the electroelastic material properties of the FGPS vary exponentially across the thickness of the strip, and that the bimaterial strip is under combined anti-plane mechanical shear and in-plane electrical loads. The analysis is conducted for the electrically unified crack boundary condition, which includes both the traditional permeable and the impermeable ones. By using the Fourier transform, the problem is reduced to the solution of Fredholm integral equations of the second kind. Numerical results for the stress intensity factor and the crack sliding displacement are presented to show the influences of the crack propagation speed, electric loads, FGPS gradation, crack length, electromechanical coupling coefficient, properties of the bonded homogeneous piezoelectric strip and crack location.     

An efficient coupled layerwise theory for static analysis of piezoelectric sandwich beams

Summary An efficient one-dimensional model is developed for the statics of piezoelectric sandwich beams. Third-order zigzag approximation is used for axial displacement, and the potential is approximated as piecewise linear. The displacement field is expressed in terms of three primary displacement variables and the electric potential variables by satisfying the conditions of zero transverse shear stress at the top and bottom and its continuity at layer interfaces. The deflection field accounts for the piezoelectric transverse normal strain. The governing equations are derived using a variational principle. The present results agree very well with the exact solution for thin and thick highly inhomogeneous simply supported hybrid sandwich beams. The developed theory can accurately model open and closed circuit boundary conditions. The first author is grateful to DST, Government of India, for financial support for this work.     

Anti-plane crack moving along the interface of dissimilar piezoelectric materials

The problem of an anti-plane Griffith crack moving along the interface of dissimilar piezoelectric materials is solved by using the integral transform technique. It is shown from the result that the intensity factors of anti-plane stress and electric displacement around the crack tip are dependent on the speed of the Griffith crack as well as the material coefficients. When the two piezoelectric materials are identical, the present result will be reduced to the result for the problem of an anti-plane moving Griffith crack in homogeneous piezoelectric materials. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation and the National Post-doctoral Science Foundation of China.     

用三维有限元模型计算复合材料粘接修补裂纹板的J积分

用复合材料单边粘接修补带裂纹金属板是三维应力问题,而采用简化的二维有限元分析模型计算则有一定近似性。本文建立了三维有限元模型,并计算了其断裂参数J积分。计算分析结果表明,厚度方向上J积分值是变化的,并且修补边比未修补边的J积分值有明显减小;修补前后裂纹面的张开位移明显不同;裂纹板模型的J积分值与裂纹长度在修补前为二次关系,修补后,变成线性关系;粘胶和补片的厚度、粘胶的模量对J积分的影响比较显著。为了提高修补性能,需要对粘胶和补片的几何尺寸和材料性能进行优化。     

An effective model for the lubrication with micropolar fluid

In this paper, using asymptotic analysis, we study the lubrication process with incompressible micropolar fluid. Starting from 3D micropolar equations, we derive the higher-order asymptotic model explicitly acknowledging the microstructure effects. The effective equations are similar to the Brinkman model for porous medium flow.     

Surface cracking of a piezoelectric strip bonded to an elastic substrate (Mode I crack problem)

Summary A piezoelectric material layer bonded to an elastic substrate is investigated. The piezoelectric layer contains an edge crack that is perpendicular to the surface of medium. The poling axis of the piezoelectric layer is parallel to its edge. The elastic layer can be an ideal insulator or an ideal conductor. The Fourier transform technique is used to reduce the problem to a solution of singular integral equations. Both impermeable crack and permeable crack assumptions are considered. Stress and electric displacement intensity factors are investigated for different dimensions of the medium. A double-edge cracked symmetric piezoelectric laminate under symmetric electro-mechanical load is also investigated. BLW would like to thank the National Science Foundation of China (#10102004) and the City University of Hong Kong for the support of this work (DAG #7100219). YGS also thanks the Multidiscipline Scientific Research Foundation Project (HIT. MD 2001. 39) of the Harbin Institute of Technology and the SRF for ROCS, SEM.     

An exact solution of crack problems in piezoelectric materials

IntroductionInrecentyearscrackproblemsinpiezoelectricmaterialhavereceivedmuchattention.Manytheoreticalanalyseshavebeengivenby[1～16].Itshouldbe,however,notedthatalltheaboveanalysesarebasedonaso-calledimpermeablecrackassumphon,i.e.thecrackfacesareassumedtobeimpermeabletoelectricfield,sotheelectricdisplacementvanishesinsidethecrack.Usingthisassumption,onewillobtainthefollowingresultS[2'3'5,6'9'16]=whentheelectricloadsaresolelyaPPliedatinLfinity,theelectricdisplacementissquare-rootsingularatthe…