A PHASE-FIELD FRACTURE MODEL OF FERROELECTRIC MATERIALS UNDER ELECTRO-MECHANICAL LOADING

A phase-field model is proposed for the coupled simulation of microstructure and fracture evolution in ferroelectric materials. The model is based on energetic phase-field approaches for brittle fracture and ferroelectric domain formation and evolution. The variational nature of these approaches makes their coupling very natural. However the main challenge is to encode the electro-mechanical conditions of the sharp crack faces into the phase-field framework since the crack in this model is smeared and represented by an internal layer. We develope the model for different crack face boundary conditions. Simulations show the microstructure induced by the presence of the crack. Interactions between the microstructure and the crack are investigated under different electro-mechanical loadings.