Thermoelectromechanical Response of a Center Crack in a Symmetrical Functionally Graded Piezoelectric Strip

The thermoelectromechanical fracture problem for a symmetrical functionally graded piezoelectric strip containing a center crack parallel to the free boundaries is considered in this study. It is assumed that the thermoelectroelastic properties of the medium vary continuously in the thickness direction, and that the strip is under thermomechanical loadings. The crack faces are supposed to be insulated thermally and electrically. By using the Fourier transform, the thermal and electromechanical problems are reduced to singular integral equations, respectively, which are solved numerically. Numerical calculations are carried out, and detailed results are presented to illustrate the influence of the crack length and the material nonhomogeneity on the temperature-stress distributions and the stress intensity factor.