Fracture analysis of an electrically conductive interface crack with a contact zone in a magnetoelectroelastic bimaterial system

• An electrically conductive interface crack with a contact zone is solved analytically.
• The expression for intensity factors and the contact zone length are found.
• A significant influence of the electric field on the fracture parameters is observed.
• Magnetoelectrically permeable conditions in crack region are studied.
• Comparisons of different crack models are performed.

An electrically conductive interface crack with a contact zone in a magnetoelectroelastic (MEE) bimaterial system is considered. The bimaterial is polarized in the direction orthogonal to the crack faces and is loaded by remote tension and shear forces as well as electrical and magnetic fields parallel to the crack faces. It is assumed that the electrical field inside the crack faces is equal to zero and the magnetic quantities are continuous across the crack faces. Using special expressions of magnetoelectromechanical quantities via sectionally-analytic functions proposed in this paper, a combined Dirichlet–Riemann and Hilbert boundary value problem is formulated and solved analytically. Explicit analytical expressions for the characteristic mechanical, electrical and magnetic parameters are presented. A simple transcendental equation is derived for the determination of the contact zone length. Stress, electric field and magnetic field intensity factors and the contact zone length are found for various loading cases. A significant influence of the electric field on the contact zone length, stress and electric field intensity factors is observed. Magnetoelectrically permeable conditions in the crack region are also investigated and comparisons of different crack models are performed. Results presented in this paper should have potential applications to the design of multilayered magnetoelectroelastic (MEE) structures and devices.