Abstract :
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.
