Transient Thermoelectroelastic Response of a Functionally Graded Piezoelectric Strip with Two Parallel Axisymmetric Cracks

In this article, the problem of two parallel axisymmetric cracks in a plate of a functionally graded piezoelectric material (FGPM) strip is analyzed under transient thermal loading conditions. It is assumed that the thermoelectroelastic properties of the strip vary continuously along the thickness of the strip, and that the crack faces are supposed to be insulated thermally and electrically. By using both the Laplace and Hankel transforms, the thermal and electromechanical problems are reduced to two systems of singular integral equations. The singular integral equations are solved numerically, and a numerical method is then employed to obtain the time dependent solutions by way of a Laplace inversion technique. Systematic numerical calculations are carried out, and the field intensity factors versus time are presented for various values of dimensionless parameters representing the crack geometry and the material non-homogeneity.