Interfacial fracture analysis of a graded piezoelectric layer on a substrate with finite dimension

In fracture analysis of piezoelectric devices, the structural dimension is often assumed to be infinite at least in one direction. However, all practical piezoelectric structures are finite and their dimensions in different directions are often comparable and cannot be simplified as infinite. The assumption of infinite dimension may lead to inexact theoretical results. The present work aims at studying the interfacial fracture behavior of a functionally graded piezoelectric layer on a dielectric substrate with finite dimension. The crack problem is solved by the methods of Fourier series and Cauchy singular integral equation. Parametric studies on the stress intensity factor (SIF) reveal the following: (a) when a crack tip is near to an interface end, its SIF is mainly governed by the end effect; (b) when a crack is far from the interface ends and the piezoelectric layer is thin, its SIF is principally affected by the thickness of the piezoelectric layer, and (c) only when a crack is far from the interface ends and meanwhile the piezoelectric layer is thick will its SIF be dominated by the non-homogeneity parameter, and in this case, the SIF increases with the increasing non-homogeneity parameter.