An exact solution of crack problems in piezoelectric materials (Q1305389)

Using Stroh formalism, the authors investigate a two-dimensional problem for elastic piezoelectric material with crack. Rejecting the widely used hypothesis of vanishing of normal component of electric displacement on the surface of crack (the so-called impermeability condition) as being not valid and not supported by experimental evidence, the authors obtain exact expressions for stress and electric field intensity factors and for the energy release rate, in the case when the material is subjected to uniform loads at infinity. It is shown, in particular, that the energy release rate is always positive, and the intensity factor for electric displacement does not depend on the electric load.