Topology Optimization of Piezoelectric Force Sensor

Piezoelectric sensor generates analog voltage signal in response to the applied force. The larger the output analog voltage under the same loading condition, the better the piezoelectric force sensor design because of its higher sensitivity. In this paper, topology optimization method is applied to design PZT plate force sensor. Problem formulation for this problem is given, in which a stiffness constraint is considered. The sensitivity analyses of objective function and constraint are derived from adjoint method. Finally, two optimal design results for piezoelectric force sensor are shown and discussed.