The electrical potential difference across cracks in PZT measured by Kelvin Probe Microscopy and the implications for fracture Original Research Article

An indentation crack in a poled PZT ceramic subjected to an electric field is investigated using AFM and KFM to determine the crack opening displacement and the electrical potential difference across the crack. The experimental results are used to calculate the crack tip stress and dielectric displacement intensity factors and the crack tip energy release rate. From the applied electric field and the measured field interior to the crack, the dielectric constant of the crack interior is determined to be 40. The consequences of this permittivity on the crack tip energy release rate are illustrated for a Griffith crack. The theoretically predicted effect of an applied electric field in retarding crack growth decreases significantly with increasing permittivity. In practical situations in terms of crack length, applied load and electric field level, the retardation of crack growth is negligible when the dielectric constant of the crack interior is higher than 20.