Date of Award
2009
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Engineering Science
Program
Mechanical and Materials Engineering
Supervisor
Dr. Liying Jiang
Abstract
A propagating crack and interacting cracks in functionally graded piezoelectric materials (FGPMs) subjected to in-plane electromechanical loading are investigated. The formulations of the problems are derived using Fourier transforms and the resulting singular integral equations are solved with Chebyshev polynomials. Considering both the dielectric medium filling and the crack opening deformation, a dielectric crack model is used to study the effects of material gradient, crack propagating speed, material mismatch, crack geometry and the crack position upon the fracture behaviour of FGPMs. The results obtained demonstrate how the transition among different crack models occurs and predict the critical states of dielectric cracks in the FGPMs. A new feature of the effect of the combination of the material gradient and the crack length aa upon the fracture behaviour of FGPMs is revealed. This work contributes in understanding the nonlinear nature of the fracture of FGPMs and improving the design and applications of FGPMs in smart structures.
Recommended Citation
Yan, Zhi, "The Fracture Properties of Functionally Graded Piezoelectric Materials (FGPMs)" (2009). Digitized Theses. 3969.
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/digitizedtheses/3969