Fabrication and properties of thin-shell monolithic piezoelectric ceramic transducers

Monolithic piezoelectric ceramic transducers with hollow thin shell forms (sphere, cylinder, tube and cone) were successfully fabricated from lead zirconate titanate using slip casting method. Stable and well dispersed water based slurries were prepared under basic conditions with 35–45 vol% solid loading using 0.25– 0.50 wt% dispersant. Various characteristic vibration modes, such as length extension, radial expansion, etc., were obtained from the thin shell transducers at 50–200 kHz frequencies. The resonance frequencies of these modes were engineered by changing the shape and dimensions of the shells. Comparison of the numerical calculations and experimental results indicates that slip casting is a viable method to obtain hollow thin shells with reasonable electrical properties.