Ferroelectric ceramics are susceptible to fracture under high magnitude cyclic electric field. Flaws concentrate the electric field, inducing a large incompatible strain, and thereby a large stress. Stable growth of cracks with either conducting or insulating interiors is observed in 8/65/35 lanthanum lead zirconate titanate samples. Indentations on the electroded surface are filled with distilled water or a water-salt solution. Under cyclic electric field, tree like damage grows from the indented electrode. Indentations on the surfaces 90" to the electrodes are filled with silicone oil. This results in stable crack growth perpendicular to the cyclic electric field. Nonlinear fracture models are presented for both conducting and insulating cracks. Tensile stress intensity factors are predicted for both cases.
The Marx pulse generator topology has been widely used in pulsed power applications 1,2. Another pulse generator topology, the linear transformer driver (LTD), has been developed 3 that may serve as a viable alternative to the Marx generator. LTDs utilize inductively added stages to achieve high voltages and currents. Unlike a Marx generator, each stage in an LTD features multiple bricks, all of which are ground referenced and allow current to be distributed amongst an arbitrary number of switches. This allows for LTDs that utilize solid-state switches, potentially resulting in more compact and reliable pulse generators. A solid-state, >10 kA peak current, multiple-stage LTD is developed. The generator's performance will be analyzed for viability as a replacement for driving a high power microwave generator.
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