Effects of face plates on surface displacement profile in 2-2 piezoelectric composites

A simple model is developed to describe the inhomogeneous surface deformation profile of face plated 2-2 type piezocomposites. The contribution of face plate to the equilibrium condition is approximated by simple elastic bending of the plate. Analytical solutions were obtained for the inhomogeneous surface displacement profile. From these solutions one can predict the variation of the nonuniform surface displacement in a 2-2 composite with respect to material and geometry parameters. It is shown that the surface displacement uniformity depends on several factors: the ceramic aspect ratio, the spacing between ceramic plates, the thickness of face plate, the Young´s modulus of the polymer and of the face plate. The calculated results indicate that stiffer face plates, softer polymer resin, and closer ceramic spacing could make the piezocomposite transducers have more uniform surface displacement.<>