Basic solution of a mode-I limited-permeable crack in functionally graded piezoelectric materials

In this paper, the basic solution of a mode-I crack in functionally graded piezoelectric materials was investigated by using the generalized Almansi’s theorem. In the analysis, the electric permittivity of air inside the crack were considered. To make the analysis tractable, it was assumed that the shear modulus, piezoelectric constants and dielectric constants vary exponentially with coordinate parallel to the crack. The problem was formulated through Fourier transform into two pairs of dual integral equations, in which the unknown variables are jumps of displacements across the crack surfaces. To solve the dual integral equations, the jumps of displacements across the crack surfaces were directly expanded as a series of Jacobi polynomials. The solution of the present paper shows that the effects of the electric boundary conditions on the electric displacement fields near the crack tips can not be ignored. Simultaneously, the solution of the present paper will revert to a closed form one when the functionally graded parameter equals to zero.     

Propagation of a mode-III interfacial crack in a piezoelectric–piezomagnetic bi-material

The transient response of a semi-infinite mode-III interfacial crack propagating between piezoelectric (PE) and piezomagnetic (PM) half spaces is investigated in this paper. The integral transform method together with the Wiener–Hopf and Cagniard–de Hoop techniques is used to solve the mixed boundary value problem under consideration. The existence of generalized Maerfeld–Tournois interfacial wave is discussed and the solutions of the coupled fields are derived for four different cases of bulk shear wave velocity. The dynamic intensity factors of stress, electric displacement and magnetic induction as well as energy release rate (ERR) are obtained in explicit forms. The numerical results of the universal functions and dimensionless ERR for several different material combinations are presented and discussed in details. It is found that the Bleustein–Gulyaev (generalized Maerfeld–Tournois) waves dominate the dynamic characteristics of the interfacial crack propagation in PE–PM bi-material.     

Cracks’ closure in 3-D fracture dynamics: the effect of relative location of two coplanar cracks

In this paper, the problem of two equal coplanar cracks with allowance for the crack faces contact interaction was investigated. The problem of the cracks located in homogeneous, isotropic, and linearly elastic solid subjected to normally incident tension–compression wave is solved by the boundary integral equations method. The influence of the distance between two cracks on the stress intensity factors (opening mode and transverse shear mode) is studied for a range of wave numbers. The results are compared with those obtained neglecting cracks’ closure.     

Mixed mode fracture of a piezoelectric–piezomagnetic bi-layer structure with two un-coaxial cracks parallel to the interface and each in a layer

The purpose of the present work is to study the mixed mode fracture of a piezoelectric–piezomagnetic composite with two un-coaxial cracks parallel to the interface and each in a layer. Methods of generalized dislocation simulation, Green’s function, Cauchy singular integral equation and Lobatto–Chebyshev collocation are combined together to get the numerical results of mechanical strain energy release rate (MSERR). Three kinds of effects are revealed by parametric studies, i.e., the free-surface effect, the shielding effect and the interference effect, and they are used to interpret the characteristics of COD and MSERR curves. In addition, the effects of shear loading, magnetic loading and electric loading on MSERR are also disclosed, respectively, by varying the corresponding loading factor.     

Dynamic behavior of two collinear interface cracks between two dissimilar functionally graded piezoelectric/piezomagnetic material strips

The dynamic interaction of two collinear interface cracks between two dissimilar functionally graded piezoelectric/piezomagnetic material strips subjected to the anti-plane shear harmonic stress waves was investigated. By using the Fourier transform, the problem can be solved with the help of a pair of triple integral equations in which the unknown variable is jump of displacement across the crack surfaces. These equations are solved using the Schmidt method. Numerical examples are provided to show the effect of the functionally graded parameter, the circular frequency of the incident waves and the thickness of the strip upon stress, electric displacement and magnetic flux intensity factors of cracks.     

Anti-plane dynamic hole–crack interaction in a functionally graded piezoelectric media

The anti-plane dynamic problem of a functionally graded piezoelectric plane containing a hole–crack system is treated by a non-hypersingular traction-based boundary integral equation method. The material parameters vary exponentially in the same manner in an arbitrary direction. The system is loaded by an incident SH-type wave, and impermeable boundary conditions are assumed. Using a frequency-dependent fundamental solution of the wave equation, the boundary value problem is transformed into a system of integro-differential equations along the boundary of the hole and on the crack line. Its numerical solution yields the dynamic stress intensity factors and stress concentration factors. A parametric study reveals their dependence on the hole–crack scenario and its geometry, characteristics of the dynamic load and magnitude and direction of material inhomogeneity.     

Eulerian–Lagrangian 3-D simulations of unsteady two-phase gas–liquid flow in a rectangular column by considering bubble interactions

This work discusses the development of a three-dimensional Eulerian–Lagrangian CFD model for a gas–liquid flow in a rectangular column. The model resolves the time-dependent, three-dimensional motion of small gas bubbles in a liquid to simulate the dynamic characteristics of the oscillating bubble plume. Our model incorporates drag, gravity, buoyancy, lift, pressure gradient and virtual mass forces acting on a bubble rising in a liquid, and accounts for two-way momentum coupling between the phases. We use MUSIG model that provides a framework in which the population balance method together with the break up and coalescence models can be incorporated into three-dimensional CFD calculations. We use turbulent flow to describe liquid flow field. The standard κ–ε of turbulence is selected for calculating the properties of turbulent flow. The effect of aspect ratio of the column on the flow pattern, liquid velocity and gas hold-up profiles is discussed.     

An Element Free Galerkin analysis of steady dynamic growth of a mode i crack in elastic–plastic materials

An Element Free Galerkin (EFG) method based formulation for steady dynamic crack growth in elastic–plastic materials is developed. A domain convecting parallel to the steadily moving crack tip is employed. The EFG methodology eliminates the stringent mesh requirements of the Finite Element Method (FEM) for such problems. Both rate-independent materials and rate-dependent materials are considered. The material is characterized by von Mises yielding condition and an associated flow rule. For rate-independent materials, both the influence of crack speeds and that of strain hardening on the mechanics of steady dynamic crack growth are investigated. For rate-dependent materials, only a non-hardening material is considered with emphasis on determining the influence of viscous properties of materials and crack speeds. The influence of strain hardening on steady dynamic crack growth shows the same trends as for steady quasi-static crack growth. The simplifications used in the literature in deriving analytical solutions for high strain-rate crack growth have been examined thoroughly using the numerical results.     

In-plane perturbation of a system of two coplanar slit-cracks – II: Case of close inner crack fronts or distant outer ones

The study of the in-plane perturbation of a system of two coplanar slit-cracks carried out in Part I is specialized to the case where the distance between the inner crack fronts is small, or equivalently that between the outer fronts large. The limit process involved is complex because of appearance of a “boundary layer” in the limiting case considered; this boundary layer occurs near the origin in the Fourier space used to determine the unknown components of the fundamental kernel looked for. A technique of matched asymptotic expansions is used to tackle this difficulty.The problem is thus reduced to determining two unknown functions only, which characterize the “interactions” between the two inner fronts. These functions obey a system of nonlinear differential equations in Fourier’s space, which are solved analytically near the origin and numerically in general. The results evidence a very slow decrease of long-range interactions between distinct points on the same front or distinct ones. This represents a striking difference with respect to the cases considered earlier of a single semi-infinite crack and a single slit-crack.     

Strength or toughness? A criterion for crack onset at a notch

Both energy and stress criteria are necessary conditions for fracture but neither one nor the other are sufficient. Experiments by Parvizi et al. on transverse cracking in cross-ply laminates corroborate this assumption. Thanks to the singularity at the tip of the notch, the incremental form of the energy criterion gives a lower bound of admissible crack lengths. On the contrary, the stress criterion leads to an upper bound. The consistency between these two conditions provides a general form of a criterion for crack nucleation. It enjoys the desirable property of coinciding with the usual Griffith criterion to study the crack growth and with the stress criterion for the uniform traction along a straight edge. Comparisons with experiments carried out on homogeneous notched materials and on bimaterial structures show a good agreement.     

Green’s functions for anti-plane deformations of a circular arc-crack at the interface of piezoelectric materials

Summary The anti-plane deformation problem of an interfacial debounding crack between a circular piezoelectric inclusion and a piezoelectric matrix is investigated by means of the complex variables method. For a line load applied within the matrix or inside the inclusion, Greens functions are presented for the complex potentials, intensity factors and electric fields on the crack faces, respectively, in closed and explicit form. The solutions are valid for both permeable and impermeable crack models. It is shown that, in the general case of permeable cracks, the electric field singularity is always proportional to the stress singularity.The first author (C.F.Gao) would like to express his gratitude for the support of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (Germany).     

Bleustein–Gulyaev waves in 6 mm piezoelectric materials loaded with a viscous liquid layer of finite thickness

In this paper, we analyze the propagation of Bleustein–Gulyaev waves in an unbounded piezoelectric half-space loaded with a viscous liquid layer of finite thickness within the linear elastic theories. Exact solutions of the phase velocity equations are obtained in the cases of both electrically open circuit and short circuit by solving the equilibrium equations of piezoelectric materials and the diffusion equation of viscous liquid. A PZT-5H/Glycerin system is selected to perform the numerical calculation. The results show that the mass density and the viscous coefficient have different effects on the propagation attenuation and phase velocity under different electrical boundary conditions. In particular, the penetration depth of the waves is of the same order as the wavelength in the case of electrically short circuit. These effects can be used to manipulate the behavior of the waves and have implications in the application of acoustic wave devices.     

In-plane perturbation of a system of two coplanar slit-cracks – I: Case of arbitrarily spaced crack fronts

In order to lay the grounds for a future study of the deformation of the fronts of coplanar cracks during their final coalescence, we consider the model problem of a system of two coplanar, parallel, identical slit-cracks loaded in mode I in some infinite body. The first, necessary task is to determine the distribution of the stress intensity factors along the crack fronts resulting from some small but otherwise arbitrary in-plane perturbation of these fronts. This is done here in the case where the distances between the various crack fronts are arbitrary and fixed.The first order expression of the local variation of the stress intensity factor is provided by a general formula of Rice (1989) in terms of some “fundamental kernel” tied to the mode I crack face weight function. In the specific case considered, this fundamental kernel reduces to six unknown functions; the problem is to determine them. This is done by using another formula of Rice (1989) which provides the variation of the fundamental kernel in a similar way. This second formula is applied to special perturbations of the crack fronts preserving the shape and relative dimensions of the cracks while modifying their absolute size and orientation. The output of this procedure consists of nonlinear integro-differential equations on the functions looked for, which are transformed into nonlinear ordinary differential equations through Fourier transform in the direction of the crack fronts, and then solved numerically.     

Debonding analysis of FRP–concrete interface between two balanced adjacent flexural cracks in plated beams

A cohesive interface modeling approach to debonding analysis of adhesively bonded interface between two balanced adjacent flexural cracks in conventional material (e.g., concrete or wood) beams strengthened with externally bonded FRP plates is presented. Both the strengthened beam and strengthening FRP are modeled as two linearly elastic Euler–Bernoulli beams bonded together through a thin adhesive layer. A bi-linear cohesive model, which is commonly used in the literature, is adopted to characterize the stress-deformation relationship of the FRP–concrete interface. Completely different from the single-lap or double-shear pull models in which only the axial pull force is considered, the present model takes the couple moment and transverse shear forces in both the substrates into account to study the second type of intermediate crack-induced debonding (IC debonding) along the interface. The whole debonding process of the FRP–concrete interface is discussed in detail, and closed-form solutions of bond slip, interface shear stress, and axial force of FRP in different stages are obtained. A rotational spring model is introduced at locations of the two adjacent flexural cracks to model the local flexibility of the cracked concrete beam, with which the relationship between the local bond slip and externally applied load is established and the real bond failure process of the FRP-plated concrete beam with the increasing of the externally applied load is revealed. Parametric studies are further conducted to investigate the effect of the thickness of adhesive layer on the bond behavior of FRP–concrete interface. The present closed-form solution and analysis on the local bond slip versus applied load relationship for the second type of IC debonding along the interface shed light on the bond failure process of structures externally strengthened with FRP composite plates and can be used effectively and efficiently to predict ductility and ultimate load of FRP-strengthened structures.     

Periodic solutions and homoclinic bifurcation of a predator–prey system with two types of harvesting

In this paper, a predator–prey model with both constant rate harvesting and state dependent impulsive harvesting is analyzed. By using differential equation geometry theory and the method of successor functions, the existence, uniqueness and stability of the order one periodic solution have been studied. Sufficient conditions which guarantee the nonexistence of order k (k≥2) periodic solution are given. We also present that the system exhibits the phenomenon of homoclinic bifurcation under some parametric conditions. Finally, some numerical simulations and biological explanations are given.     

Propagation of Bleustein–Gulyaev wave in 6 mm piezoelectric materials loaded with viscous liquid

The influence of a viscous liquid on acoustic waves propagating in elastic or piezoelectric materials is of particular significance for development of liquid sensors. Bleustein–Gulyaev wave is a shear-type surface acoustic wave and has the advantage of not radiating energy into the adjacent liquid. These features make the B–G wave sensitive to changes in both mechanical and electrical properties of the surrounding environment. The Bleustein–Gulyaev wave has been reported to be a good candidate for liquid sensing application. In this paper, we investigate the potential application of B–G wave in 6 mm crystals for liquid sensing. The explicit dispersion relations for both open circuit and metalized surface boundary conditions are given. A numerical example of PZT-5H piezoelectric ceramic in contact with viscous liquid is calculated and discussed. Numerical results of attenuation and phase velocity versus viscosity, density of the liquid and wave frequency are presented. The paper is intended to provide essential data for liquid senor design and development.     

Interface crack extension at any constant speed in orthotropic or transversely isotropic bimaterials––I. General exact solutions

A semi-infinite crack along the interface of two dissimilar half-spaces extends under in-plane loading. Each half-space belongs to a class of orthotropic or transversely isotropic elastic materials, the crack can extend at any constant speed, and all six possible relations between the four body wave speeds are considered. A steady dynamic situation is treated, and exact full displacement fields derived. A key step is a factorization that produces, despite anisotropy, simple solution forms and compact crack speed-dependent functions that exhibit the Rayleigh and Stoneley speeds as roots. These roots are calculated for various representative bimaterials.Closed-form crack opening displacement gradient and interface stress fields are also derived from a general set of coupled singular integral equations. The equation eigenvalues can, depending on crack speed, be complex/imaginary conjugates, purely real, or zero. This suggests possibilities observed in other studies: oscillations and square-root singular behavior at the crack edge, non-singular behavior, singular behavior not of square-root order, and the radiation of displacement gradient discontinuities at crack speeds beyond the purely sub-sonic range.These possibilities are explored further in terms of two important special cases in Part II of this study [Int. J. Solids Struct., 39, 1183–1198].     

Stress-induced potential barriers and charge distributions in a piezoelectric semiconductor nano?ber

The performance of a piecewise-stressed ZnO piezoelectric semiconductor nano?ber is studied with the multi-?eld coupling theory. The ?elds produced by equal and opposite forces as well as sinusoidally distributed forces are examined. Speci?c distributions of potential barriers, wells, and regions with effective polarization charges are found. The results are fundamental for the mechanical tuning on piezoelectric semiconductor devices and piezotronics.     

On a class of method for solving problems with random boundary notches and/or cracks

As we know,problems with boundary imperfections(notches or cracks)are the more importantone in practical fracture analysis.Frequently,these imperfections would appear in the boundaries ofthe bodies as a randomly distributed group,and under the loading circumstances would grow up to beunstable cracks which induces catastrophic fracture of the bodies.For right evaluation the fracturebehavior of the bodies with such boundary imperfections,it demands mathematical solutions for pro-blems with random boundary notches and/or cracks.