PIEZOELECTRIC BIMORPH - EXPERIMENTAL AND THEORETICAL-STUDY OF ITS QUASISTATIC RESPONSE

Plates of the piezoelectric ceramic lead zirconate titanate of thickness approximately 150 mu m adhesively bonded to beryllium copper plates of comparable thickness form so-called bimorph elements. The electromechanical behaviour of such elements is studied under quasistatic conditions. Features dealt with include electrical poling, hysteresis behaviour, transverse and longitudinal mechanical strain. A theoretical treatment is given and used to interpret the measurements.