Effects of Electric Field and Poling on Fatigue Behavior of PZT Ceramics with Single-Edge Crack by Three-Point Bending.

We describe the fatigue behavior in cracked piezoelectric ceramics under electromechanical loading through experimental and finite element characterizations. Static and dynamic fatigue tests were conducted on lead zirconate titanate (PZT) ceramics subjected to electric fields, by three-point bending using single-edge precracked-beam technique. A nonlinear finite element analysis (FEA) was also carried out to calculate the energy release rate for the permeable, impermeable, open and discharging crack models, and the effects of electric field and polarization switching on the energy release rate were examined. The electric field dependence of the lifetime and crack extension versus energy release rate curves was then estimated based on the FEA using measured data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]