Abstract
A finite element homogenization method for a shear actuatedd15 macro-fibre composite (MFC) made of seven layers (Kapton, acrylic, electrode,piezoceramic fibre and epoxy composite, electrode, acrylic, Kapton) is proposed and usedfor the characterization of its effective material properties. The methodology isfirst validated for the MFC active layer only, made of piezoceramic fibre andepoxy, through comparison with previously published analytical results. Then, themethodology is applied to the seven-layer MFC. It is shown that the packagingreduces significantly the shear stiffness of the piezoceramic material and, thus,leads to significantly smaller effective electromechanical coupling coefficientk15 and piezoelectricstress constant e15 when compared to the piezoceramic fibre properties. However, it is found that the piezoelectric chargeconstant d15 is less affected by the softer layers required by the MFC packaging.
Highlights
Recent applications of piezoelectric sensors and actuators require conformability and packaging standards not found in monolithic piezoceramic patches [1]
As in the previous case, the numerically evaluated effective properties match quite well with those evaluated using analytical homogenization techniques. These results show that the increase in the fibre volume fraction (FVF) from 0.86 to 0.95, meaning a 10% increase, leads to an overall increase in the elastic constants of the representative volume element (RVE)
The methodology was first validated for the macro-fibre composite (MFC) active layer only, made of the piezoceramic fibre and epoxy, through comparison with previously published analytical results
Summary
Recent applications of piezoelectric sensors and actuators require conformability and packaging standards not found in monolithic piezoceramic patches [1]. An alternative MFC design, in which the macro-fibres are oriented perpendicular to the direction of motion, was proposed [4] to induce the transverse shear mode (15 or 35) in the piezoceramic fibres. The main difficulty in the study of MFCs, as an alternative to monolithic piezoceramic patches, is that their behaviour may be much more complex since they are made of several different materials (piezoceramic fibres, epoxy matrix, electrode layers and protective layers). A finite element homogenization method for a shear actuated d15 MFC made of seven layers (Kapton, acrylic, electrode, piezoceramic fibre and epoxy composite, electrode, acrylic, Kapton) is proposed and used for the characterization of its effective material properties.
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