Electro-mechanical load transfer from a fiber in a 1-3 piezocomposite with an imperfect interface

This paper considers the electro-mechanical interaction between a fiber and a matrix material in a 1-3 piezocomposite due to an axial load and electric charge applied to the fiber. The fiber-matrix interface is assumed to be mechanically imperfect and is represented by a spring-factor model. The interface is either electrically open- or short-circuited. The analytical general solutions corresponding to an infinite piezoelectric fiber with a vertical body force and an electric body charge are derived by using Fourier integral transforms. These solutions together with the analytical general solutions for a transversely isotropic elastic medium are used to formulate the fiber-matrix interaction problem. Selected numerical results for the fiber axial force and vertical electric field, and interfacial stresses are presented for representative 1-3 piezocomposites. The influence of the interface stiffness on the electro-mechanical load diffusion is also examined.