Crack-tip amplification and shielding by micro-cracks in piezoelectric solids – Part I: Static case

Analysis of the crack-tip amplification and shielding by micro-cracks in an unbounded two-dimensional piezoelectric solid is presented in this paper. A boundary element method (BEM) based on the hypersingular traction boundary integral equations (BIEs) is developed for this purpose. Integrals with hypersingular kernels are analytically transformed into weakly singular and regular integrals. A collocation method is applied for the spatial discretization. Quadratic quarter-point elements are implemented at all crack-tips. The amplification ratios of the field intensity factors and mechanical strain or electrical energy release rate are defined to show the crack-tip amplification and shielding. Numerical results are compared with the analytical results for isotropic materials to verify the present BEM. The influences of various loading conditions, the location and orientation angles of micro-cracks on the amplification ratios are investigated. The contours of the amplification ratios for an arbitrarily located micro-crack are also presented to show the crack-tip amplification and shielding effects.