Dynamic fatigue of cracked piezoelectric ceramics in three-point bending under electric fields at cryogenic temperatures

This paper deals with the cryogenic dynamic fatigue behavior of cracked piezoelectric ceramics under electric fields analytically and experimentally. The crack was created normal to the poling direction. Constant load-rate testing was conducted, using three-point bending technique, with the single-edge precracked-beam (SEPB) specimens at room temperature and liquid nitrogen temperature (77 K). The effects of electric fields and loading-rate on the fracture load were examined. Plain strain finite element analysis (FEA) was also performed, and the energy release rate for the permeable crack model was calculated to discuss the effects of loading-rate and temperature on the critical energy release rate.