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Electromechanical cracking in ferroelectrics driven by large scale domain switching

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Abstract

Experimental results indicate three regimes for cracking in a ferroelectric double cantilever beam (DCB) under combined electromechanical loading. In the loading, the maximum amplitude of the applied electric field reaches almost twice the coercive field of ferroelectrics. Thus, the model of small scale domain switching is not applicable any more, which is dictated only by the singular term of the crack tip field. In the DCB test, a large or global scale domain switching takes place instead, which is driven jointly by both the singular and non-singular terms of the crack-tip electric field. Combining a full field solution with an energy based switching criterion, we obtain the switching zone by the large scale model around the tip of a stationary impermeable crack. It is observed that the switching zone by the large scale model is significantly different from that by the small scale model. According to the large scale switching zone, the switch-induced stress intensity factor (SIF) and the transverse stress (T-stress) are evaluated numerically. Via the SIF and T-stress induced by the combined loading and corresponding criteria, we address the crack initiation and crack growth stability simultaneously. The two theoretical predictions roughly coincide with the experimental observations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Aerospace Engineering and Applied Mechanics, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China

    YuanQing Cui

  2. University Office, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China

    Wei Yang

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  1. YuanQing Cui
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  2. Wei Yang
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Correspondence to Wei Yang.

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Contributed by YANG Wei

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Cui, Y., Yang, W. Electromechanical cracking in ferroelectrics driven by large scale domain switching. Sci. China Phys. Mech. Astron. 54, 957–965 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11433-011-4308-y

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