Effect of Columbic Force on Piezoelectric Fracture

This paper studies the effect of the Columbic force on piezoelectric fracture. Bound charges emerge on the upper and lower surfaces of a permeable crack when a piezoelectric solid with the crack is subjected to far-field mechanical/electric loading. Taking into account the Columbic force between the bound charges, we obtain a non-linear equation governing the normal component of electric displacement D₂(x₁)on the crack faces. The results show that D₂(x₁)is, in general, not a constant along the crack faces and depends on the mechanical/electric loading conditions, the crack profile and the material properties outside and inside the crack. Furthermore, we examine the Columbic force under low mechanical/electric loads and then discuss the effect of the Columbic force on the fracture behaviour of piezoelectric materials.