Boundary element modeling of cracks in piezoelectric solids

This study focuses on the application of boundary element methods for linea r fracture mechanics of two-dimensional piezoelectric solids. A complete se t of piezoelectric Green's functions, based on the extended Lekhnitskii's f ormalism and distributed dislocation modeling, are presented. Special Green 's functions are obtained for an infinite medium containing a conducting cr ack or an impermeable crack. The numerical solution of the boundary integra l equation and the computation of fracture parameters are discussed. The co ncept of crack closure integral is utilized to calculate energy release rat es. Accuracy of the boundary element solutions is confirmed by comparing wi th analytical solutions reported in the literature. The present scheme can be applied to study complex cracks such as branched cracks, forked cracks a nd microcrack clusters. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.