On the influence of pyroelectricity upon thermally induced vibrations of piezothermoelastic plates

Abstract

We study thermally induced vibrations of laminated plates with attached or embedded piezoelectric layers. A model governing the bending motion under changing thermal environments is developed. The modeling is based on the kinematic assumption of Kirchhoff; consistently, the thickness distribution of the electric potential is considered being of second order. The electric potential distribution is found as a function of mechanical strain and temperature distribution; mechanical strain accounting for the direct piezoelectric effect and temperature entering via the pyroelectric effect. The plate theory incorporates the direct piezoelectric effect by means of effective plate stiffness and the pyroelectric effect by means of effective thermal loading. The theory is capable to model piezoelectric layers with the electrodes left open by using nonlocal constitutive relations. Moreover, nonlocal terms enter the effective thermal loading. These nonlocal relations introduce a new aspect into thin plate theory.