Electrostatic tractions at dielectric interfaces and their implication for crack boundary conditions

A general relation is developed describing electrostatic stresses at interfaces between dielectric bodies exposed to electric fields. The derivation is based on thermodynamical considerations of electromechanical systems leading to a formulation of configurational forces acting at the interface. The related physical stresses exist on different length scales e.g. at internal boundaries in smart composite materials, at crack faces in piezoelectric ceramics or at domain walls of ferroelectrics.