Fracture criterion for conductive cracks in soda-lime glass under combined mechanical and electrical loading

Fracture tests of electrically conductive cracks on pre-notched four-point bending soda-lime glass samples were conducted under combined mechanical and electrical loading. The experimental results show that the critical stress intensity factor at fracture is reduced if an electric field is applied, thereby indicating that the electric field makes contributions to the fracture of conductive cracks. Base on the charge-free zone (CFZ) model, the total local J-integral including the local mechanical and electrical J-integrals serves as a fracture criterion for conductive cracks in dielectric ceramics under combined mechanical and electrical loading. The experimental results confirm the fracture criterion deduced from the CFZ model.