Segmented piezoelectric fiber composite for vibration control: fabricating and modeling of electromechanical properties

This work presents an available prototyping technique and numerical model for development and optimization of piezoelectric fiber composites (PFC). The proposed technique, named "segmented piezoelectric fiber composite" (S-PFC) technique, consists of forming and polarizing PFC directly in the structure. To do this, we make molds directly in the structure, stack PZT fiber layers in the molds and develop specific segmentation techniques used to achieve connections, which allow reversed electric fields in consecutive segments during poling. The developed S-PFC technique yields long PFCs. To illustrate the vibration control concept, we present experimental results in passive vibration controls. The performances of the active beam depend on the electromechanical properties of S-PFCs. Then we propose periodic homogenization model to forecast electromechanical properties of the S-PFCs and to recommend a fiber aspect ratio (lf/2rf) to achieve optimal electromechanical properties of S-PFC with a fixed fiber volume fraction.