The electro-elastic coupling interaction between a piezoelectric screw dislocation and the embedded circular cross-section inclusions with imperfect interfaces in piezoelectric solids was investigated by using a three-phase composite cylinder model. By means of a complex variable technique, the explicit solutions of electro-elastic fields were obtained. With the aid of the Peach–Koehler formula, the explicit expression for the image force exerted on the piezoelectric screw dislocation was derived. The image force on the dislocation and its equilibrium positions near one of the inclusions were discussed for variable parameters (interface imperfection and material electro-elastic dissimilarity) and the influence of nearby inclusions was also considered. The results show that when compared with the previous solution (the perfect interface), more equilibrium positions of the screw dislocation in the matrix might be available due to the effect of the interface imperfection when the dislocation was close to the electro-elastic stiff inclusion. It was also found that the magnitude of the image force exerted on the piezoelectric screw dislocation produced by multiply inclusions was always smaller than that produced by a single inclusion and the impact of nearby inclusions on the mobility of the screw dislocation was very important.

A Piezoelectric Screw Dislocation in a Three-Phase Composite Cylinder Model with an Imperfect Interface. Q.H.Fang, Y.W.Liu, B.Jin, P.H.Wen: International Journal of Engineering Science, 2009, 47[1], 39-49