Multifield Transducers, Devices, Mechatronic Systems, and Structronic Systems with Smart Materials

Abstract

Smart materials are increasingly applied to not only traditional sensors but to actuators, precision systems, adaptive or smart structures, mechatronic systems, structronic systems, and so on. The objective of this paper is to introduce the shock and vibration community to novel transducer technologies applied to complicated multifield vibration problems involving elastic, temperature, electric, magnetic, and light interactions. The active materials include piezoelectrics, electro- and magnetostrictive materials, shape memory alloys, electro- and magnetorheological fluids, polyelectrolyte gels, superconductors, pyroelectrics, photostrictive materials, photoferroelectrics, and magnetooptical materials. This paper provides an overview of these popular active materials and their applications to transducers (sensors/actuators), devices, precision mechatronic systems, and structronic systems. Note that the emphasis is placed on their fundamental characteristics, histories, material varieties, patents, and engineering applications.