The combined effect of electric and mechanical loading on fracture of a PZT-5 ferroelectric ceramic in silicone oil has been investigated using a single edge notched specimen. The results show that the fracture toughness and the threshold stress intensity factor of delayed fracture in silicone oil, i.e. stress corrosion cracking, decrease linearly with the increasing applied electric field, either positive or negative. For the PZT-5 ferroelectric ceramics, delayed fracture in silicone oil under sustained positive or negative field can occur, and the threshold field for delayed fracture under sustained positive or negative field decreases linearly with applied stress intensity factor. The combined effect of electric and mechanical loading on delayed fracture in silicone oil includes fieldenhancing delayed fracture under sustained load and stress-enhancing delayed fracture in silicone oil under sustained field.
WANG Yi, SU Yanjing, CHU Wuyang & QIAO Lijie Department of Material Physics, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China