Development of a PZT fiber/piezo-polymer composite actuator with interdigitated electrodes

Piezoelectric Fiber Composites with Interdigitated Electrodes (PFCIDE) were previously introduced as an alternative to monolithic wafers with conventional electrodes for applications of structural actuation. This paper is an investigation into the performance improvement of piezoelectric fiber composite actuators by changing the matrix material. This paper presents a modified micro-electromechanical model and numerical analyses of piezoelectric fiber/piezopolymer matrix composite actuator with interdigitated electrodes (PFPMIDE). Various concepts from different backgrounds including three-dimensional linear elastic and dielectric theories have been incorporated into the present linear piezoelectric model. The rule of mixture and the modified method to calculate effective properties of fiber composites were extended to apply to the PFPMIDE model. The new model was validated comparing with available experimental data and other analytical results. To see the structural responses of a composite plate integrated with the PFPMIDE, three-dimensional finite element formulations were derived. Numerical analyses show that the shape of the graphite/epoxy composite plate with the PFPMIDE may be controlled by judicious choice of voltages, piezoelectric fiber angles, and elastic tailoring of the composite plate.