An investigation on two cracks perpendicular to the interfaces in a piezoelectric layer bonded to two half spaces by the Schmidt method

The behavior of two collinear anti-plane shear cracks in a piezoelectric layer bonded to two half spaces is investigated by the Schmidt method. The cracks are vertically to the interfaces of the piezoelectric layer. By using the Fourier transform, the problem can be solved with two pairs of triple integral equations. These equations are solved using the Schmidt method. This process is quite different from that adopted previously. Numerical examples are provided to show the effect of the geometry of the interacting cracks and the piezoelectric constants of the material upon the stress intensity factor of the cracks.