Configurational forces for quasi-incompressible large strain electro-viscoelasticity - Application to fracture mechanics

This work treats theoretical and numerical aspects of configurational forces with application to fracture mechanics of electroactive polymers (EAPs) modelled in the continuum mechanics based context of large strain quasi-incompressible electro-viscoelasticity. We adopt a four-field formulation to take the quasi-incompressible behaviour in a finite element framework into account. We discuss the numerical implementation of viscosity-related evolution equations and the implications of viscous internal variables on the computation of configurational forces. As numerical examples for time depending crack driving forces we discuss a pre-cracked stacked EAP actuator as well as a pre-cracked and pre-stretched block actuator.