The strip dielectric breakdown model

This paper reports on the analysis of the strip dielectric breakdown (DB) model for an electrically impermeable crack in a piezoelectric medium based on the general linear constitutive equations. The DB model assumes that the electric field in a strip ahead of the crack tip is equal to the dielectric breakdown strength, which is in analogy with the classical Dugdale model for plastic yielding. Using the Stroh formalism and the dislocation modeling of a crack, we derived the relationship between the DB strip size and applied mechanical and electrical loads, the intensity factors of stresses and electric displacement, and the local energy release rate. Based on the results, we discussed the effect of electric fields on fracture of a transversely isotropic piezoelectric ceramic by applying the local energy release rate as a failure criterion. It is shown that for an impermeable crack perpendicular to the poling direction, a positive electric field will assist an applied mechanical stress to propagate the crack, while a negative electric field will retard crack propagation. However, for an impermeable crack parallel to the poling direction, it is found that the applied electric field does not change the mode I stress intensity factor and the local energy release rate, i.e., the applied electric field has no effect on the crack growth.