AbstractThe propagation of axisymmetric electroelastic waves in solid inhomogeneous piezoceramic cylinders based on 3D electroelasticity is considered. The surface of the cylinder is free of loads and covered with thin electrodes. A resolving system of differential equations in partial derivatives with variable coefficients is presented. An efficient numerical–analytical method to solve this problem is proposed. Components of the elasticity tensor, of the mechanical and electric displacement vector, the electrostatic potential and of the components of the stress tensor are presented by running waves in an axial direction. The three‐dimensional system of resolving equation is reduced to a boundary‐value problem described by a system of differential equations. The spectral characteristics of running waves in the solid cylinders for homogeneous and continuously heterogeneous piezoceramic materials are presented and comparative analysis is carried out.