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A distributed piezoelectric actuator (DPA) improving the deformation performance of wing is proposed. As the power source of morphing wing, the factors affecting the driving performance of DPA were studied.

The DPA is composed of a substrate beam and a certain number of piezoelectric patches pasted on its upper and lower ends. Utilizing the inverse piezoelectric effect of piezoelectric material, the DPA transfers displacement to the wing skin to change its shape. According to the finite element method and piezoelectric constitutive equation, the structure model of DPA was established, and its deformation behavior was analyzed. The accuracy of algorithm was verified by comparison with previous studies.

The results show that the arrangement way, length and thickness of piezoelectric patches, the substrate beam thickness and the applied voltage are the important factors to determine the driving performance of DPA.

This paper can provide theoretical basis and calculation method for the design and application of distributed piezoelectric actuator and morphing wing.

A novel morphing wing drove by DPA is proposed to improve environmental adaptability of aircraft. As the power source achieving wing deformation, the DPA model is established by FEM. Then the factors affecting the driving performance are analyzed. The authors find the centrosymmetric arrangement way of piezoelectric patches is superior to the axisymmetric arrangement, and distribution center of the piezoelectric patches determines the driving performance.

Island attack and defense, emergency rescue, scientific research, civilian fisheries and other fields are inseparable from timely, high-quality underwater communications. However light and other electromagnetic waves are severely attenuated in water, acoustic is currently the only energy carrier that can transmit signals over long distances in water. However, the complex water environment and serious interference bring serious challenges to underwater activities using underwater acoustic sensors-hydroacoustic transducers. Thus, this paper aims to develop a class of high reception sensitivity hydroacoustic transducer structures to provide research and utilization ideas for related scholars.

The electromechanical coupling coefficient is improved by converting the thickness vibration mode of the piezoelectric ceramic into the longitudinal vibration mode of the piezoelectric pillars array, and no polymer is added between the piezoelectric pillars array to reduce lateral coupling as well as internal friction, which can thus reduce the energy losses. Radial stacking in parallel can also enhance the charge generated through the positive piezoelectric effect. The optimal parameters of the structure are determined by equivalent circuit method and finite element analysis, and a hydroacoustic transducer of this structure is fabricated finally.

According to the standard test procedure, the hydroacoustic transducer was tested in water. The tests show that the conductance curve of the stacked high-sensitivity hydroacoustic transducer tested in the air is in good agreement with the simulation results. The resonant frequency is about 118 kHz, and the receiver sensitivity is −166 dB. The stacked material hydroacoustic transducer is in the high-frequency range and has a much higher sensitivity (−166 dB) than many types of hydroacoustic transducers fabricated by piezoelectric ceramic (less than −200 dB).

Although the stacked high-sensitivity hydroacoustic transducer that the authors have fabricated has a performance improvement, it has a limitation. The hollow design of the pillar arrays increases the reception stress on each pillar, and the imposed pressure comes from water also increases simultaneously, so the depth of water that the stacked high-sensitivity hydroacoustic transducer can operate in may be slightly shallower than that made of a pure piezoelectric ceramic block or a piezoelectric ceramic material with polymer added. This will be a problem to be solved in a future deployment.

Whether it is marine scientific research or in various fields such as civil recreation and fishing, hydroacoustic communication and necessary underwater exploration are indispensable for acoustic waves. The hydroacoustic transducer is the sensor that sends and receives sound waves, so a lot of water equipment, such as yachts, sonar buoys, and so on, cannot be separated from the hydroacoustic transducer. In addition, the complexity of the water environment also requires a good performance of the hydroacoustic transducer to facilitate the convenience and effectiveness of subsequent signal processing. Therefore, hydroacoustic transducers have great market and commercial value.

Hydroacoustic transducers are not only of great commercial value but also have a significant impact on the military as well as on people’s livelihood. As we all know, in the area of submarine communication and underwater exploration, sonar is the main force. The performance of the hydroacoustic transducer directly affects the performance of the hydroacoustic signal processing system, and ultimately directly determines the success or failure of the mission. In addition, the large-scale replacement of hydroacoustic transducers on equipment requires the concerted efforts of a large number of practitioners, such as material scientists, structural scientists, mathematicians and so on. Therefore, the rise of hydroacoustic transducers has given rise to a large number of learning positions as well as employment positions.

To enhance the reception sensitivity of the hydroacoustic transducer, the authors have optimized the existing hydroacoustic transducer materials and structures to propose a stacked sensitive element, which can effectively enhance the electromechanical conversion coefficient of the piezoelectric material. Furthermore, the authors have manufactured a hydroacoustic transducer using the proposed stacked sensitive element. The test results of the hydroacoustic transducer also show that the designed stacked sensitive element is of great help to enhance the reception sensitivity of the hydroacoustic transducer.

The purpose of this study is to clarify the mechanism of ambient and transient temperature effects on piezoelectric pressure sensors, and to propose corresponding compensation measures. The temperature of the explosion field has a significant influence on the piezoelectric sensor used to measure the shock wave pressure. For accurate shock wave pressure measurement, based on the actual piezoelectric pressure sensors used in the explosion field, the effects of ambient and transient temperatures on the sensor should be studied.

The compensation method of the ambient temperature is discussed according to the sensor size and material. The theoretical analysis method of the transient temperature is proposed. For the transient temperature conduction problem of the sensor, the finite element simulation method of structure-temperature coupling is used to solve the temperature distribution of the sensor and the change in the contact force on the quartz crystal surface under the step and triangle temperatures. The simulation results are highly consistent with the theory.

Based on the analysis results, a transient temperature control method is proposed, in which 0.5 mm thick lubricating silicone grease is applied to the sensor diaphragm, and 0.2 mm thick fiberglass cloth is wrapped around the sensor side. Simulation experiments are carried out to verify the feasibility of the control method, and the results show that the control method effectively suppresses the output of the thermal parasitic.

The above thermal protection methods can effectively improve the measurement accuracy of shock wave pressure and provide technical support for the evaluation of the power of explosion damage.

Safety improvement and cost reduction have a strong influence on the way to achieve maintenance operations of complex structures, in particular in air transportation, in civil engineering and others. In this case, piezoelectric ceramics such as sensors and actuators have been used. The advantages of piezoelectric materials include high achievable bandwidth, reliability, compactness, lightness and ease of implementation, thus making them well-suited to be used as actuators and sensors in the case of onboard structures. In this context, this study based around the examination of health and deformation of smart structures, taking into consideration the mechanical and piezoelectric behaviour of sensors and actuators, mechanical contact as well as the initial conditions and the imposed boundary conditions. This paper aims to present an approach for modeling of an intelligent structure by the finite element method. This structure is of aluminum type beam with elastic behaviur where piezoelectric rectangular pellets discreetly spread on the surface of the beam are instrumented. The numerical results were computed and compared to the experimental tests available in the literature and the results show the effectiveness of these piezoelectric (PZT) elements, depending on their positions, and to control the deformed structure, good agreement has been found between the experimental data and numerical predictions.

Numerical modeling by finite elements model for the measurement of the deformation and the change in shape of a clamped-free structure composed of both elastic and piezoelectric materials have been given by using the Ansys® software. The numerical results were valid by comparisons with analytical and experimental results find in the literature.

The numerical results showing a good correlation and agree very well. It was also concluded that the actuator and the sensor will be better placed at the housing because it is the position or the actuator that has the greatest impact and where the sensor gives the greatest signal. They are said to be co-located as glues one below the other on either side of the beam.

These materials have an inverse piezoelectric effect allowing them to control the form and present any noise or vibration at any time or position on the structure. The study presented in this paper targets the modeling of a PZT beam device for deform generation by transforming electrical energy into usable load. In this paper, a unimorph piezoelectric cantilever with traditional geometry is investigated for micromanipulation by using the software Ansys®.

Piezoelectric extension mode smart beams are vital part of modern control technology and their numerical analysis is an important step in the design process. Finite elements based on First-order Shear Deformation Theory (FSDT) are widely used for their structural analysis. The performance of the conventional FSDT-based two-noded piezoelectric beam formulations with assumed independent linear field interpolations is not impressive due to shear and material locking phenomena. The purpose of this paper is to develop an efficient locking-free FSDT piezoelectric beam element, while maintaining the same number of nodal degrees of freedom.

The governing equations are derived using a variational formulation to establish coupled polynomial field representation for the field variables. Shape functions based on these coupled polynomials are employed here. The proposed formulation eliminates all locking effects by accommodating strain and material couplings into the field interpolation, in a variationally consistent manner.

The present formulation shows improved convergence characteristics over the conventional formulations and proves to be the most efficient way to model extension mode piezoelectric smart beams, as demonstrated by the results obtained for numerical test problems.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no such FSDT-based finite element with coupled polynomial shape function exists in the literature, which incorporates electromechanical coupling along with bending-extension and bending-shear couplings at the field interpolation level itself. The proposed formulation proves to be the fastest converging FSDT-based extension mode smart beam formulation.

The electrical properties of piezoelectric vibrators have a crucial influence on the operating state of ultrasonic motors. In order to solve the problem that the current piezoelectric vibrator generates a large amount of heat during vibration to degrade its performance, which in turn affects the normal operation of ultrasonic motors, this paper prepares a novel piezoelectric vibrator and tests its maximum vibration velocity under the working condition, which is more than twice as much as that of the current commercial PZT-8.

The crystal structures of the samples were analyzed by using an X-ray diffractometer. For microstructure observation, samples were observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM). The quasi-static piezoelectric coefficient meter (ZJ-3AN) was used for piezoelectric measurement. Dielectric properties were measured by utilizing an impedance analyzer (Agilent 4294A) with a laboratory heating unit. Ferroelectric hysteresis loops were obtained using a ferroelectric analyzer (Radiant, Multiferroic 100). A Doppler laser vibrometer (Polytec PSV-300F, Germany) and a power amplifier were used for piezoelectric vibration measurements, during which the temperature rise was determined by an infrared radiation thermometer (Victor 303, China).

The ceramics exhibit enhanced piezoelectric performance at 0.1–0.4 mol% of Yb doping contents. The ceramic of 0.4 mol% Yb reaches the maximal internal bias field and presents a larger mechanical quality factor of 1,692 compared with that of 0.2 mol% Yb-doped ceramic, in spite of a slightly decreased dielectric constant of 439 pC/N, the unit of the piezoelectric constant, which is the ratio of the local charge (pC) to the frontal force (N) and electromechanical coupling coefficient of 0.63. The vibrator with this large mechanical quality factor ceramic displays a vibration velocity of up to 0.81 m/s under the constraint of 20 °C temperature rising, which is much higher than commercial high-power piezoelectric ceramics PZT-8.

The enhanced high-power properties of the piezoelectric vibrator by Yb doping may provide a potential application for the high-performance USM and offer the possibility of long-term stable operation under high power for special equipment like USM. In the subsequent phase of research, the novel PZT-based high-power piezoelectric vibrator can be utilized in the USM, and the motor's performance will be evaluated under aerospace conditions to objectively assess the reliability of the piezoelectric vibrator.

The paper aims to highlight the computational implementation of a nonlinear piezoelectric constitutive model and its application in determining the impact of misalignment between initial poling direction and applied electrical field, and mechanical boundary conditions on actuator performance.

The numerical analysis is based on an existing three‐dimensional model, where the original rate‐independent evolution equations are replaced by their rate‐dependent counterparts to facilitate implementation, which is performed in a partial differential equation solver. The execution of the model is verified through several benchmark constitutive responses.

The analysis shows that small angles of poling and loading axes misalignment such as may occur in fabrication (less than 5^○) have minor impact on piezoelectric performance regardless of the type of imposed mechanical boundary conditions. On the other hand, larger angles of misalignment can have a significant impact, the feasibility of which in actuator design remains to be seen. Furthermore, it is shown that the linear response range of these actuators can be expanded by increased levels of mechanical constraint at the cost of maximum actuation stroke regardless of the degree of misalignment.

The misalignment, which occurs accidentally, but can also be introduced purposefully during the fabrication process when poled material is cut into specimen form, may exhibit desirable performance features for actuator design when combined with appropriate mechanical constraints.

The purpose of the study is to present a frequency domain spectral finite element model (SFEM) based on fast Fourier transform (FFT) for wave propagation analysis of smart laminated composite beams with embedded delamination. For generating and sensing high-frequency elastic waves in composite beams, piezoelectric materials such as lead zirconate titanate (PZT) are used because they can act as both actuators and sensors. The present model is used to investigate the effects of parametric variation of delamination configuration on the propagation of fundamental anti-symmetric wave mode in piezoelectric composite beams.

The spectral element is derived from the exact solution of the governing equation of motion in frequency domain, obtained through fast Fourier transformation of the time domain equation. The beam is divided into two sublaminates (delamination region) and two base laminates (integral regions). The delamination region is modeled by assuming constant and continuous cross-sectional rotation at the interfaces between the base laminate and sublaminates. The governing differential equation of motion for delaminated composite beam with piezoelectric lamina is obtained using Hamilton’s principle by introducing an electrical potential function.

A detailed study of the wave response at the sensor shows that the A0 mode can be used for delamination detection in a wide region and is more suitable for detecting small delamination. It is observed that the amplitude and time of arrival of the reflected A0 wave from a delamination are strongly dependent on the size, position of the delamination and the stacking sequence. The degraded material properties because of the loss of stiffness and density in damaged area differently alter the S0 and A0 wave response and the group speed. The present method provides a potential technique for researchers to accurately model delaminations in piezoelectric composite beam structures. The delamination position can be identified if the time of flight of a reflected wave from delamination and the wave propagation speed of A0 (or S0) mode is known.

Spectral finite element modeling of delaminated composite beams with piezoelectric layers has not been reported in the literature yet. The spectral element developed is validated by comparing the present results with those available in the literature. The spectral element developed is then used to investigate the wave propagation characteristics and interaction with delamination in the piezoelectric composite beam.

The purpose of this paper is to study the analytical solutions of transversely isotropic thermo-piezoelectric interactions in a polygonal cross-sectional fiber immersed in fluid using the Fourier expansion collocation method.

A mathematical model is developed for the analytical study on a transversely isotropic thermo-piezoelectric polygonal cross-sectional fiber immersed in fluid using a linear form of three-dimensional piezothermoelasticity theories. After developing the formal solution of the mathematical model consisting of partial differential equations, the frequency equations have been analyzed numerically by using the Fourier expansion collocation method (FECM) at the irregular boundary surfaces of the polygonal cross-sectional fiber. The roots of the frequency equation are obtained by using the secant method, applicable for complex roots.

From the literature survey, it is evident that the analytical formulation of thermo-piezoelectric interactions in a polygonal cross-sectional fiber contact with fluid is not discussed by any researchers. Also, in this study, a polygonal cross-section is used instead of the traditional circular cross-sections. So, the analytical solutions of transversely isotropic thermo-piezoelectric interactions in a polygonal cross-sectional fiber immersed in fluid are studied using the FECM. The dispersion curves for non-dimensional frequency, phase velocity and attenuation coefficient are presented graphically for lead zirconate titanate (PZT-5A) material. The present analytical method obtained by the FECM is compared with the finite element method which shows a good agreement with present study.

This paper contributes the analytical model to find the solution of transversely isotropic thermo-piezoelectric interactions in a polygonal cross-sectional fiber immersed in fluid. The dispersion curves of the non-dimensional frequency, phase velocity and attenuation coefficient are more prominent in flexural modes. Also, the surrounding fluid on the various considered wave characteristics is more significant and dispersive in the hexagonal cross-sections. The aspect ratio (a/b) of polygonal cross-sections is critical to industry or other fields which require more flexibility in design of materials with arbitrary cross-sections.

Piezoelectric actuators and sensors are an invaluable part of lightweight designs for several reasons. They can either be used in noise cancellation devices as thin‐walled structures are prone to acoustic emissions, or in shape control approaches to suppress unwanted vibrations. Also in Lamb wave based health monitoring systems piezoelectric patches are applied to excite and to receive ultrasonic waves. The purpose of this paper is to develop a higher order finite element with piezoelectric capabilities in order to simulate smart structures efficiently.

In the paper the development of a new fully three‐dimensional piezoelectric hexahedral finite element based on the p‐version of the finite element method (FEM) is presented. Hierarchic Legendre polynomials in combination with an anisotropic ansatz space are utilized to derive an electro‐mechanically coupled element. This results in a reduced numerical effort. The suitability of the proposed element is demonstrated using various static and dynamic test examples.

In the current contribution it is shown that higher order coupled‐field finite elements hold several advantages for smart structure applications. All numerical examples have been found to agree well with previously published results. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that accurate results can be obtained with far fewer degrees of freedom compared to conventional low order finite element approaches. Thus, the proposed finite element can lead to a significant reduction in the overall numerical costs.

To the best of the author's knowledge, no piezoelectric finite element based on the hierarchical‐finite‐element‐method has yet been published in the literature. Thus, the proposed finite element is a step towards a holistic numerical treatment of structural health monitoring (SHM) related problems using p‐version finite elements.