Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics 34 (2000) 35±47

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Mixed mode crack initiation in piezoelectric ceramic strip

B.L. Wang a,b,*, N. Noda b
a
Center for Composite Materials, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, People's Republic of China
b
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Shizuoka University, Johoku 3-5-1, Hamamatsu, 432-8561, Japan

Abstract
When piezoelectric ceramics are subjected to mechanical and electrical load, they can fracture prematurely due to
their brittle behavior. Hence, it is important to know the electro±elastic interaction and fracture behavior of piezo-
electric materials. The problem of a through crack in a piezoelectric strip of ®nite thickness is studied in this paper.
Fourier transforms are used to reduce the problem to the solution of singular integral equations. The model technique
can solve for polarization in an arbitrary direction and material anisotropy. Numerical values of the crack-tip ®eld
ampli®cation for a piezoelectric strip under in-plane electromechanical loading are obtained. Energy density factor
criterion is applied to obtain the maximum of the minimum energy density and direction of crack initiation. The in-
¯uence of crack length and crack position on stress intensity and energy density factors is discussed. Ó 2000 Elsevier
Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction

Piezoelectric ceramic material is indispensable for making transducers, actuators and various wave
generators for transmitting sonic, ultrasonic and electromagnetic signals. Mechanically and electrically
induced stresses can cause premature failure of these devices due to the propagation of ¯aws or defects
during production and/or in-service condition. The understanding of the fracture process of piezoelectric
materials could provide information to improve the design of electromechanical devices.
E€orts have been made to analyze crack behavior in piezoelectric materials. In [1], cracks either in pi-
ezoelectrics, or on interfaces between piezoelectrics and other materials such as metal electrodes or
piezoelectric±polymeric composites were studied. The static anti-plane cracking of a piezoelectric strip was
investigated in [2±5]. Linear elastic fracture mechanics were employed to study the in¯uence of applied
electric ®eld on fracture initiation of piezoelectric materials [6]. The distributed dislocation method was
used to study the in-plane piezoelectric fracture problem [7]. Williams' eigenfunction expansion method was
applied to obtain the singular nature of the near crack-tip stress and electric ®elds in piezoelectric material
[8,9]. Obtained in [10] is the closed form solution to an anti-plane crack problem, whereas the work in [11]
considered all three modes of fracture for an in®nite piezoelectric medium containing a center crack sub-
jected to a combined mechanical and electrical loading. Mode I and mixed mode fracture tests were made

*
Corresponding author.
E-mail addresses: wangbl@public.hr.hl.cn, tbwong@ipc.shizuoka.ac.jp (B.L. Wang).

0167-8442/00/$ - see front matter Ó 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
PII: S 0 1 6 7 - 8 4 4 2 ( 0 0 ) 0 0 0 2 2 - 7
36 B.L. Wang, N. Noda / Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics 34 (2000) 35±47

[12] for PZT-4 piezoelectric ceramics assuming that the mechanical strain energy release rate could be used
as a fracture criterion. More recent works involve the scattering of love waves by a surface-breaking crack
in piezoelectric layered media [13], the anti-plane shear crack growth rate of a piezoelectric ceramic body
with ®nite width [14], and the dynamic bending of a symmetric piezoelectric laminated plate with a through
crack [15]. Examined also were a piezoelectric layer with an anti-plane shear crack bonded to two elastic
half planes [16] and a central crack in a ®nite piezoelectric strip [17]. In [18], a strip-saturation model was
used for analyzing a ®nite crack perpendicular or parallel to the poling axis of a poled piezoelectric ceramics
medium in®nite in extent. Polarization reaching a saturation limit along a line segment in front of the crack
was discussed.
In what follows, the interaction of a crack with neighboring free stress boundaries is analyzed with
emphasis placed on how the crack size and position would a€ect the fracture initiation behavior. The strain
energy density criterion is applied since it could handle mixed mode mechanical loads and the e€ect of
electric ®eld. Results are reported to the problem of a through crack in a strip of piezoelectric material of
®nite height. A general treatment of the energy density theory applied to piezoelectric ceramics can be
found in [19].

2. Basic equations of piezoelectricity

Field equations for piezoelectric materials subjected to mechanical and electrical ®elds are given by
rij ˆ cijkl uk;l ‡ elij /;l ; Di ˆ eikl uk;l ÿ il /;l …1†

and
rij;j ˆ 0; Di;i ˆ 0; …2†
where rij , ui , Di , and / are stresses, displacements, electric displacements, and electric potential, respec-
tively. Moreover, cijkl , eijk , il and q are elastic constants, piezoelectric constants, dielectric permittivities and
density, respectively. A comma indicates partial derivative. The electric ®eld Ei is related to the electric
potential / as Ei ˆ ÿ/;i . Inserting Eq. (2) into Eq. (1), the results

cijkl uk;lj ‡ elij /;lj ˆ 0; eikl uk;li ÿ il /;li ˆ 0: …3†

The piezoelectric medium is in®nite along x1 axis, while the ®eld variable ui and / are functions of x1 and x2
only. Consider a solution of Eq. (3) in the forms
Z ‡1 Z ‡1
1 1
uk ˆ Ak …s†Feskx2 eÿisx1 ds; / ˆ A4 …s†Feskx2 eÿisx1 ds; …4†
2p ÿ1 2p ÿ1
the result
  
ÿcj1k1 ÿ i…cj1k2 ‡ cj2k1 †k ‡ cj2k2 k2 ÿ e1j1 ÿ i…e1j2 ‡ e2j1 †k ‡ e2j2 k2 Aj
ˆ 0; …5†
ÿe1k1 ÿ i…e1k2 ‡ e2k1 †k ‡ e2k2 k2 11 ‡ i…12 ‡ 21 †k ÿ 22 k2 A4

where j and k take on the values 1, 2, and 3. This is an eigenvalue problem consisting of four equations.
Nontrivial Aj …j ˆ 1; 2; 3; 4† exist if k is a root of the determinant. The eight roots for k, form four conjugate
pairs. In terms of these eigenvalues, a general expression for the displacements and electric potential can be
written as
Z ‡1
1
V…x1 ; x2 † ˆ AFeÿisx1 ds: …6†
2p ÿ1
 B.L. Wang, N. Noda / Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics 34 (2000) 35±47 37

Note that
   
uk Aka eska x2
V…x1 ; x2 † ˆ ; A…x2 † ˆ ; F ˆ fFa g; k ˆ 1; 2; 3; a ˆ 1; . . . ; 8: …7†
/ A4a eska x2

De®ne two new vectors p1 and p2 as

p1 …x1 ; x2 † ˆ …r11 r33 r31 D1 D3 †T ;

…8†
p2 …x1 ; x2 † ˆ …r21 r22 r23 D2 †T :

Using Eqs. (1), (6)±(8), it is found that

Z ‡1
1
p1 …x1 ; x2 † ˆ B 1 Fseÿisx1 ds;
2p ÿ1
Z ‡1 …9†
1
p2 …x1 ; x2 † ˆ B 2 Fseÿisx1 ds;
2p ÿ1

where B 1 …x2 † is a 5  8 matrix, B2 …x2 † is a 4  8 matrix.

3. Method of solution

Consider a piezoelectric strip of height h, Fig. 1. The body contains a crack of length 2a along x1 axis. Let
the superscripts 1 and 2 refer to the quantities associated with the materials occupying the lower and upper
parts, respectively. The crack faces are loaded by p0 …x†. The upper boundary and the lower boundary of the
strip are loaded by p2 …x; h…2† † and p2 …x; ÿh…1† †, respectively.

3.1. Fourier transform

The unknown vector F can be expressed in terms of p2 …x; h…2† †; p2 …x; 0†, and p2 …x; ÿh…1† † by applying
inverse Fourier transform to the second equation of (9), i.e.,
Z ( )
…2† 1 …2† ÿ1 1 p2 …x; h…2† † isx
F ˆ ‰B Š e dx;
s ÿ1 p2 …x; 0†
Z 1( ) …10†
1 ÿ1
p 2 …x; 0†
F …1† ˆ ‰B…1† Š eisx dx
s ÿ1 p2 …x; ÿh…1† †

Fig. 1. A piezoelectric material strip with a through crack.

38 B.L. Wang, N. Noda / Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics 34 (2000) 35±47

in which
  
…2†B 2 …h…2† † …1† B 2 …0†
‰B Š ˆ ; ‰B Š ˆ : …11†
B 2 …0† B 2 …ÿh…1† †

Substituting Eq. (10) into Eq. (6), the results are

Z ‡1 Z ( )
…2† 1 1  …2†  1 p2 …r; h…2† † isr
V …x; y† ˆ …2†
D1 …y† D2 …y† e dr eÿisx ds;
2p ÿ1 s ÿ1 p2 …r; 0†
Z ‡1 Z 1( ) …12†
1 1   p 2 …r; 0†
V …1† …x; y† ˆ …1† …1†
D1 …y† D2 …y† eisr dr eÿisx ds;
2p ÿ1 s ÿ1 p2 …r; ÿh…1† †
h i  ÿ1
…2† …2†
D1 …y† D2 …y† ˆ A…2† …y† B …2† ;
h i  ÿ1 …13†
…1† …1†
D1 …y† D2 …y† ˆ A…1† …y† B …1† ;
…1† …1† …2† …2†
where D1 ; D2 ; D1 , and D2 are 4  4 matrices.
De®ne a new vector {d } as given by
fd…x†g ˆ o…V …2† …x; 0† ÿ V …1† …x; 0††=ox: …14†
Eq. (12) can be used to give
Z ‡1  Z 1 Z 1
i  …1†
isx
fd…r†g ˆ ‰LŠ p2 …x; ÿ h † e dx ‡ ‰MŠ fp2 …x; 0†geisx dx
2p ÿ1 ÿ1 ÿ1
Z 1 
 isx
‡ ‰N Š p2 …x; h † e dx eÿisr ds;
…2†
…15†
ÿ1
where
…1† …2† …1† …2†
‰L…s†Š ˆ D2 …0†; ‰M…s†Š ˆ ÿD2 …0† ‡ D1 …0†; ‰N …s†Š ˆ D1 …0†: …16†
Solving fp2 …x; 0†g from Eq. (15), the following result is obtained:
Z a
fp2 …x; 0†g ˆ ‰K…x; r†Šfd…r†g dr ÿ fpb …x†g; …17†
ÿa

where
Z ‡1
1 ÿ1
‰K…x; r†Š ˆ ‰M…s†Š eis…rx† ds; …18†
2pi ÿ1

and
Z  Z Z 
1 ‡1
ÿ1
1  1 
fpb …x†g ˆ ‰MŠ ‰LŠ p2 …x; ÿ h † eisr dr ‡ ‰N Š
…1†
p2 …x; h † e dr eisx ds:
…2† isr
…19†
2p ÿ1 ÿ1 ÿ1

Thus fdg is the only unknown vector which may be determined from the crack surface boundary
condition. The singular behavior of the kernel ‰K…x; r†Š may be obtained from the asymptotic analysis of the
integral in Eq. (18). Note that for large values of s, M…s† ! sgn…s†M…/†, it can be deduced from Eq. (18)
that
ÿ1
1 ‰M…1†Š
‰K…x; r†Š ˆ ‡ ‰K1 …x; r†Š; …20†
p rÿx
 B.L. Wang, N. Noda / Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics 34 (2000) 35±47 39

where
Z ‡1  
1
‰K1 …x; r†Š ˆ ‰M…s†Šÿ1 ÿ sgn…s†‰M…1†Šÿ1 eis…rÿx† ds: …21†
2pi ÿ1

Because of uniform convergence, the function de®ned by

Z a
fp0b …x†g ˆ ‰K1 …x; r†Šfd…r†g dr ÿ fpb …x†g …22†
ÿa

is bounded in the closed interval ÿa 6 x 6 a. Observe that Eq. (17) gives fp2 …x; 0†g outside and inside the
crack. For the latter, Eq. (17) may be expressed as
ÿ1 Z 1
‰M…1†Š fd…r†g
p0 …x† ˆ dr ‡ fp0b …x†g; …23†
p ÿ1 r ÿ x

where r ˆ r=a, x ˆ x=a, and fd…r†g ˆ fd…ar†g.

3.2. Solution of the singular integral equations

The singular integral equations can be solved numerically using a weighted residual technique. This
reduces the singular integral equations to a set of algebraic equations, where the unknowns are the coef-
®cients of Chebychev polynomials of the ®rst kind Tm …r†.
, ,
p X
M p
2 m
fd…r†g ˆ g…r† 1ÿr ˆ fC gTm …r† 1 ÿ r2 : …24†
mˆ1

The unknowns fC m g are determined using an eight-term expression for the Chebychev polynominals and
100 Gaussion integration points. This technique was also used for the dynamic fracture analysis of non-
homogeneous composites [20] and for layered piezoelectric media [21].
The displacements and electric potential di€erences between crack faces can be evaluated from Eqs. (14)
and (24) as
X1
sin…m ar cos r†
fD…r†g ˆ ÿa fC m g ; r < 1: …25†
mˆ1
m

Upon evaluating fC m g from Eqs. (23) and (24), the stress and electric displacement intensity factors
for Modes I±IV, where Mode IV refers to in-plane electric displacement can be obtained:
fKg ˆ fKII KI KIII KIV gT . The result is
p X
M
ÿ1 p m
fKg ˆ 2‰…ÿa† ÿ xŠ ÿ
fp2 …x; 0†g ˆ ‰M…1†Š a …ÿ1† fC m g …26†
x!…a†
mˆ1

for the left-hand side crack-tip, and

p X
M
ÿ1 p
fKg ˆ 2‰x ÿ aŠ ‡
fp 2 …x; 0†g ˆ ÿ‰M…1†Š a fC m g …27†
x!…a†
mˆ1

for the right-hand side crack-tip.

For piezoelectric medium, solution has been obtained in complex variable form [1]. The stress and
electric displacement distribution near the crack front are
40 B.L. Wang, N. Noda / Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics 34 (2000) 35±47

T
…r11 r33 r31 D1 D3 † ˆ 2Re…B 1 f †;
…28†
T
…r21 r22 r23 D2 † ˆ 2Re…Bf †;

where B 1 ; B and H a are coecients for the materials, the function f ˆ …f1 ; f2 ; f3 ; f4 † may be expanded for
small values of r as
1 1
fa ˆ H a K 0 p p …29†
2r cos h ‡ ka sin h
and where r and h are polar coordinates measured from the crack-tip. The ®eld intensity factor K 0 is
T
K 0 ˆ …KII KI KIII KIV † : …30†
If the piezoelectric medium is in®nity, K 0 is given by
p
K 0 ˆ p0 a; …31†
1 T
where p0 ˆ …r1 1 1
21 r22 r23 D2 † represents remote mechanical and electrical loads.

4. Energy density criterion

In contrast to the energy release rate criterion, there is no need for a knowledge of the direction of crack
initiation when applying the energy density criterion. For the case crack initiation in a linear piezoelectric
medium, it suces to consider the energy density function

dW 1 1
ˆ rij eij ‡ Ei Di ; …32†
dV 2 2

when the mechanical loads are mixed involving Modes I±III, the crack can no longer be assumed to extend
straight ahead. The direction is unknown and must be determined. Moreover, the electric displacement D0
may also in¯uence the crack initiation direction. Hence, all the factors KI ; KII ; KIII and KIV are involved for
®nding the crack initiation angle h0 . Refer to the work in [19] for a general treatment of the application of
the energy density theory to piezoelectric ceramics. Limiting the analysis to the crack-tip region, it is only
necessary to consider the singular energy density ®eld

dW S
ˆ ; …33†
dV r

where r is the radial distance measured from the crack-tip and S is referred to as the energy density factor.
For a knowledge of the complete crack trajectory, consideration should be given to the entire energy
density function dW =dV [22].
The energy density criterion [23] may be stated as follows:
· crack initiation is assumed to take place in a direction determined by the relative minimum of energy
density factor;
· rapid crack growth is assumed to occur when the minimum energy density factor Smin reaches a critical
value Sc .
Note from Eq. (33) that critical dW =dV or …dW =dV †c need not correspond to Sc , i.e.,
 
dW S
ˆ ; …34†
dV c r
 B.L. Wang, N. Noda / Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics 34 (2000) 35±47 41

where …dW =dV †c is the area under the true strain and true strain curve or ®nial failure of the uniaxial
specimen. Eq. (34) corresponds to crack initiation and stable crack growth. The onset of rapid crack growth
is reached only when both S and r become critical, i.e., Sc and rc such that
2
…1 ‡ t†…1 ÿ 2t†KIC
Sc ˆ ; …35†
2pE
with t and E being the Poisson's ratio and Young's modulus, respectively, for a homogeneous elastic
material. An expression similar to Eq. (35) may be de®ned for piezoelectric ceramics [19].
As a comparison, the energy release rate G can be calculated by the crack closure integral, the result is
p
G ˆ fKgT ‰M…1†ŠT fKg: …36†
4

5. Polarization and anisotropy

The poling direction for the piezoelectric material is usually chosen as the 3 direction. Constitutive re-
lations for poled piezoelectric ceramic are transversely isotropic (hexagonal symmetry), they are given as
8 9 2 38 9 2 3
>
> r11 >
> c11 c12 c13 0 0 0 > > e11 >
> 0 0 e31
>
> > > > 8 9
>
> r22 >
>
>
6 c12 c22 c13 0 0 0 7
7>
> e22 >
> > 6 0 0 e31 7
< = 6 6 7 < > = 6 6
7< E1 =
7
r33 c c c33 0 0 0 7 e33 0 0 e33 7
ˆ 6 13 13 ÿ66 0 e15 0 7: E2 ; …37†
> r23 >
> > 6 6 0 0 0 c44 0 0 7
7 >
> e23 >
> 6 7 E3
>
> > > >
> r31 >
> > 4 0
> 0 0 0 c44 0 5> > e31 >
> > 4 e15 0 0 5
: ; : > ;
r12 0 0 0 0 0 c66 e12 0 0 0

and
8 9
> e11 >
> >
8 9 2 3>>
>
> 2
e22 >
> 38 9
< D1 = 0 0 0 0 e15 0 < >
> = 11 0 0 < E1 =
e33
D2 ˆ 4 0 0 0 e15 0 0 5 ‡4 0 11 0 5 E2 : …38†
: ; > e23 > : ;
D3 e31 e31 e33 0 0 0 > >
> e31 >
> > 0 0 33 E3
>
> >
: > ;
e12

The ®eld variables u; v and / are assumed to depend on x and y only. The mechanical and electrical
response for the crack problem will be considered.

5.1. Polarization perpendicular to x±y plane

For this case, the in-plane stresses and displacements are governed by
o2 u o2 v o2 u
c11 ‡ …c 12 ‡ c 66 † ‡ c 66 ˆ 0;
ox2 ox oy oy 2
…39†
o2 v o2 u o2 v
c66 2 ‡ …c12 ‡ c66 † ‡ c22 2 ˆ 0:
ox ox oy oy

This is the plane elastic crack problem. The piezoelectric e€ect has no in¯uence on in-plane stresses and
displacement. The electrical potential and out-of-plane displacement w are governed by
42 B.L. Wang, N. Noda / Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics 34 (2000) 35±47
   
o2 w o2 w o2 / o2 /
c44 ‡ ‡ e15 ‡ ˆ 0;
ox2 oy 2 ox2 oy 2
    …40†
o2 w o2 w o2 / o2 /
e15 ‡ ÿ 11 ‡ ˆ 0:
ox2 oy 2 ox2 oy 2

The electrical potential is coupled with the out-of-plane displacement w. This is the anti-plane electro±
elastic crack problem.

5.2. Polarization along y direction

The in-plane displacements and electric potential are governed by

o2 u o2 u o2 v o2 /
c11 ‡ c44 2 ‡ …c13 ‡ c44 † ‡ …e31 ‡ e15 † ˆ 0;
ox 2 oy ox oy ox oy
o2 u o2 v o2 v o2 / o2 /
…c13 ‡ c44 † ‡ c44 2 ‡ c33 2 ‡ e15 2 ‡ e33 2 ˆ 0; …41†
ox oy ox oy ox oy
o2 u o2 v o2 v o2 / o2 /
…e31 ‡ e15 † ‡ e15 2 ‡ e33 2 ÿ 11 2 ÿ 33 2 ˆ 0:
ox oy ox oy ox oy

Note that the electrical potential is coupled with in-plane displacement u and v. The anti-plane dis-
placement is governed by

o2 w o2 w
c66 ‡ c 44 ˆ 0; …42†
ox2 oy 2

which applies to anti-plane elastic crack problem for orthotropic materials.

6. Application

Piezoelectric ceramic polarized along the z direction has been studied extensively in the past. In
what follows, consider the PZT-5H piezoelectric ceramics polarized along the y direction. The crack
con®guration is shown in Fig. 2. The elastic constants are given by c11 ˆ 12:6  1010 N=m2 ;
c13 ˆ 8:41  1010 N=m2 ; c33 ˆ 11:7  1010 N=m2 , and c44 ˆ 2:3  1010 N=m2 . The piezoelectric constants
are e31 ˆ ÿ6:5 C=m2 ; e33 ˆ 23:3 C=m2 ; and e15 ˆ 17:44 C=m2 . The dielectric permittivities are 11 ˆ
150:3  10ÿ10 C=Vm; 33 ˆ 130:0  10ÿ10 C=Vm.

Fig. 2. Crack in a piezoelectric material strip polarized along y-axis.

 B.L. Wang, N. Noda / Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics 34 (2000) 35±47 43

6.1. Stress and electric displacement intensity factors

Let the medium be loaded by stresses r0 ; s0 and electric displacement D0 on the crack surfaces. Fig. 3
plots stresses and electric displacement intensity factors against the normalized crack length. As the relative
length of the crack decreases, the ®eld intensities decrease. The ®eld intensities for a crack in a ®nite strip
are always greater than those for an in®nite piezoelectric medium.
Table 1 shows the in¯uence of crack position on stresses and electric displacement intensity factors. The
strip thickness is ®xed as h ˆ 4a. The applied load is a uniform stress r0 applied on the crack. No electric
load is applied. Previous work has found that the stress and electric ®elds in the crack plane ahead of crack-
tip are not coupled for an in®nite piezoelectric medium [21]. For the ®nite thickness strip, the stress and
electric displacement are coupled. That is, the mechanical stress alone can produce electric displacement in
the crack plane ahead of the crack-tip. The results in Table 1 also shows that all the ®eld intensities increase
quickly when crack approaches the surfaces of the strip.

6.2. Application of energy density criterion

Applying the energy density criterion, the normalized energy density factor can be plotted as a function
of the angle h for di€erent crack position or b=h ratios, Fig. 4. For b=h < 0:50, the crack is o€-center such
that KI ; KII and KIV would prevail. The location of Smin is di€erent from h ˆ 0. This implies that the crack
would curve rather than running straight (with h ˆ 0, b=h ˆ 0:50) for KII ˆ 0. It can be seen from the
curves in Fig. 4 or the numerical results in Table 2 that as b=h deviates from 0.50, the fracture angle increase

Fig. 3. Varation of stress and electric displacement intensity factors with crack length …b=h ˆ 0:5†.

Table 1
In¯uence of crack position on stresses and electric displacement intensity factors for h ˆ 4a
b=h 0.10 0.15 0.20 0.25 0.30 0.35 0.40 0.45 0.50
p
KI =r0 a 2.543 1.915 1.607 1.434 1.330 1.266 1.227 1.205 1.199
p
KII =…c13 =c33 †r0 a 1.294 0.622 0.360 0.221 0.141 0.089 0.053 0.025 0.000
p
KIV =…e33 =c33 †r0 a 2.707 1.609 1.072 0.769 0.589 0.475 0.405 0.365 0.356
44 B.L. Wang, N. Noda / Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics 34 (2000) 35±47

Fig. 4. Energy density factor as a function of the angle for di€erent crack position …h ˆ 4a†.

Table 2
Fracture angle and minimum energy density factors (h ˆ 4a)
b=h 0.10 0.15 0.20 0.25 0.30 0.35 0.40 0.45 0.50
Fracture angle h ÿ38:0° ÿ34:4° ÿ22:3° ÿ15:6° ÿ10:5° ÿ7:0° ÿ4:4° ÿ2:0° 0.0
Smin c11 =r20 a 3.213 1.632 1.090 0.844 0.718 0.643 0.599 0.579 0.572

Table 3
In¯uence of applied electric displacement on stresses and electric displacement intensity factors …h ˆ 4a; b=h ˆ 0:5†
D0 =f…e33 =c33 †r0 g 0.0 1.0 2.0 2.1 3.0 4.0 5.0 6.0 7.0
p
KI =r0 a 1.199 1.199 1.199 1.199 1.199 1.199 1.199 1.199 1.199
p
KIV =f…e33 =c33 †r0 ag 0.356 1.396 2.437 2.541 3.478 4.518 5.559 6.599 7.640

in the negative direction (clockwise direction) such that the crack tends to extend along a path closer to the
free surface. Such a conclusion agrees with the physical intuition and could be validated by tests.
In many engineering problems, the piezoelectric materials are loaded by combined electrical and me-
chanical loads. Shown in Table 3 is the ®eld intensity factors for di€erent applied electric displacement D0
on the crack faces. Because of symmetry with reference to x-axis, Mode II stress intensity factor is zero.
Note that applied electric displacement load has no in¯uence on stress intensity factor. In other words, the
electric displacement alone cannot produce mechanical stresses in the crack plane ahead of the crack-tip.
Consequently, if the stress intensity factor is used to determine crack instability, the electric displacement
should have no e€ect on fracture load. Such a conclusion would contradict experimental ®ndings.
Plotted in Fig. 5 is the variation of energy density factor with angle for di€erent applied electric dis-
placement on the crack faces. The minimum energy density factor and fracture angle are tabulated in
Table 4. For comparison, the energy release rate results are also given in Table 4. The maximum energy
release rate occurs when electric load reaches a certain value. At this value, either increasing or decreasing
the electric load will decrease energy release rate and eventually arrest the crack growth. In contrast, the
minimum energy density factor criterion predicts that the minimum energy density factor increases
monotonously with the magnitude of the electric load.
 B.L. Wang, N. Noda / Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics 34 (2000) 35±47 45

Fig. 5. Energy density factor as a function of the angle for di€erent applied electric displacement …h ˆ 4a†.

Table 4
Fracture angle and minimum energy density factors …h ˆ 4a†
D0 =f…e33 =c33 †r0 g 0.0 1.0 2.0 2.1 3.0 4.0 5.0 6.0 7.0
Fracture angle h 0° 0° 0° 0° 0° 0° 0° 0° 0°
Smin c11 =r20 a 0.572 0.668 0.870 0.895 1.175 1.584 2.098 2.716 3.438
Gc11 =r20 a 6.234 7.260 7.655 7.660 7.418 6.550 5.050 2.918 0.144

Fig. 6. Energy density factor and energy release rate for di€erent applied electric ®eld …h ˆ 4a†.

The application of an electric ®eld can be carried out in the laboratory by applying a constant potential
di€erence across the specimen. Fig. 6 shows the comparison between minimum energy density factor and
the energy release rate for varying electric ®eld E0 . The maximum energy release rate occurs when there is
no electric ®eld. The energy release rate always decreases as the strength of the electric ®eld loading
46 B.L. Wang, N. Noda / Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics 34 (2000) 35±47

increases either in the positive or negative direction. The existence of electric ®elds always retards crack
propagation regardless of the direction of the electric ®eld applied. Thus, the energy release rate cannot be
used directly as a fracture criterion for piezoelectric materials. On the other hand, the minimum energy
density factor may increase or decrease depending on the electric ®eld loading direction. According to
minimum energy density factor criterion, crack propagation can be either enhanced or retarded depending
on the direction of the electric ®eld. This result agrees qualitatively with the existing experimental obser-
vations.

7. Conclusion

Failure modes in piezoelectric materials are more complex than those in conventional materials. Crack
will not likely to extend straight ahead when Mode II or Mode IV intensity factor is present. The classical
concept of energy release rate criterion may no longer be easily applied. The present work focuses on the
fracture mechanics analysis for ®nite thickness piezoelectric medium. The following conclusions can be
made from the numerical results:
· As the relative length of the crack increases, the ®eld intensities increase. The ®eld intensities are always
greater than that corresponding to the in®nite piezoelectric medium.
· The crack position has pronounced in¯uence on ®eld intensities ahead of the crack tip. For ®nite thick-
ness piezoelectric ceramic, the applied mechanical stress can produce electric displacement in the crack
plane ahead of the crack-tip.
· The energy density factor theory can be used as a fracture criterion for piezoelectric materials.
· Crack position has signi®cant in¯uence on crack initiation angle and critical electromechanical loading.

Acknowledgements

Dr. B.L. Wang would like to give his sincere thanks to Prof. George C. Sih for his suggestions to
improve the presentation of the work. This work is supported by JSPS (Japan Society for the Promotion
of Science) postdoctoral fellowship program and the National Science Foundation of China.

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