Electric vector potential formulation for crack growth monitoring simulation

In fracture research domain, the electrical potential method is one of the most efficient for monitoring crack initiation and propagation. This method entails passing a direct or alternating current through a cracked specimen and measuring the change in electrical potential across the crack as it propagates. In order to give physical information and optimize this technique, the authors present a method to compute current distribution in a test piece. Electric vector potential formulation is used and system equation is solved by classical methods as finite elements technique associated to time discretisation. Difficulties appear for boundary conditions in order to take into account the power supply characteristics. A solution is given and applied to this system. Numerical and experimental results are presented.