Numerical and Analytical Design of Functionally Graded Piezoelectric Transducers

Abstract

This paper presents analytical and finite element methods to model broadband transducers with a graded piezoelectric parameter. The application of FGM (Functionally Graded Materials) concept to piezoelectric transducer design allows the design of composite transducers without interface between materials (e.g. piezoelectric ceramic and backing material), due to the continuous change of property values. Thus, large improvements can be achieved in their performance characteristics, mainly generating short‐time waveform ultrasonic pulses. Nevertheless, recent research on functionally graded piezoelectric transducers shows lack of studies that compare numerical and analytical approaches used in their design. In this work analytical and numerical models of FGM piezoelectric transducers are developed to analyze the effects of piezoelectric material gradation, specifically, in ultrasonic applications. In addition, results using FGM piezoelectric transducers are compared with non‐FGM piezoelectric transducers. We concluded that the developed modeling techniques are accurate, providing a useful tool for designing FGM piezoelectric transducers.