Estimation of Elastic and Piezoelectric Properties of Short Piezo Fuzzy Fiber Reinforced Composite Using Method of Cells Micromechanics Approach

Piezoelectric fibers are being widely used in the development of devices such as sensors, actuators, energy harvesting equipment, and in instruments related to biomedical engineering. Piezoelectric (PZT) fibers with radially grown carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on their surface when used as homogenous fiber in the preparation of a composite lamina is found to exhibit some enhanced elastic and piezo electric properties. The short piezoelectric fibers with radially grown CNTs which is known as piezo fuzzy fiber (PFF) are horizontally embedded in the polymer matrix to form short piezo fuzzy fiber reinforced composite (SPFFRC) lamina and the characterized mechanical properties estimated by method of cells (MOC) approach and the same has been compared with the conventional Mori-Tanaka (MT) method. The effect of waviness which are inherent to the CNTs on the overall properties have been estimated and are reported in the present study. Also, the significance of CNT orientation on the final elastic and piezo electric properties of SPFFRCs have been displayed in detail in the present study. The orientation of CNTs is vital and the results of the study show that when the CNTs are oriented transverse to the base fiber direction, the elastic properties are enhanced while the piezoelectric properties showed no or negligible effect on the orientation of CNTs. Also, the straight CNTs showed better performance in electric properties of SPFFRC while the performance slightly reduced with increase in waviness of CNTs. However, the effective elastic properties showed an increasing trend with increase in CNT waviness and hence, for the better use of the proposed SPFFRC as materials for actuator or sensor, the SPFFRC with wavy CNTs may be preferred since the waviness is inherent characteristic of CNTs and the waviness of CNTs has minimal effect on piezoelectric properties but has significant effect on the elastic properties.