MODELING 1-3 COMPOSITE PIEZOELECTRICS - HYDROSTATIC RESPONSE

A simple physical model of 1-3 composite piezoelectrics that was advanced for the material properties relevant to thickness-mode oscillations is extended to address the hydrostatic response. The model is valid when the lateral spatial scale of the composite is sufficiently fine that the composite can be treated as an effective homogeneous medium. Expressions are derived for the composite's material parameters in terms of the volume fraction of piezoelectric ceramic and the properties of the constituent piezoelectric ceramic and passive polymer. The results are similar to those derived by Haun and Newnham using a parallel-series connectivity model. The model is illustrated by analyzing composites made from conventional PZT5 and anisotropic modified lead titanate piezoelectric ceramics. For PZT5, the composite structure enhances its hydrostatic charge coefficient, d(h)BAR, hydrostatic voltage coefficient, g(h)BAR, hydrophone figure of merit, d(h)g(h)BAR, and hydrostatic coupling coefficient, k(h)BAR, while three of these quantities fall short of their pure ceramic values in the modified lead titanate composites. The shortfall is due to an enhanced composite d31BAR that arises from lateral stress on the polymer being transferred to a longitudinal stress along the ceramic rods by the Poisson effect in the polymer, thus producing a charge through the ceramic's d33.