Propagation of a mode-III interfacial conductive crack along a conductive interface between two piezoelectric materials

An analysis is presented for transient response of a mode-III interfacial crack propagating between two dissimilar piezoelectric half spaces. The dynamic fracture toughness of a piezoelectric interface is examined, which is a central issue related to the interface strength of multi-layered sensors and ferroelectric thin film devices. For the mode-III crack propagation in piezoelectric materials, an electro-acoustic surface wave, the Bleustein–Gulyaev wave, controls the crack propagation speed. It is shown that the propagation of an interfacial crack in piezoelectric media may excite an interfacial electro-acoustic surface wave, the Maerfeld–Tournois wave, which is fundamentally different from the mode-III interfacial crack propagation in purely elastic media. Moreover, it has been discovered that the existence of the Maerfeld–Tournois wave may play a significant role in determining the dynamic fracture toughness for piezoelectric composites. 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.