Dynamic Electromechanical Response and Self-Sensing of Functionally Graded Piezoelectric Cantilever Transducers

This article studies the activity and sensitivity of functionally graded piezoelectric cantilever transducers under electromechanical loading through numerical and experimental characterizations. A phenomenological model of domain wall motion in alternating current (AC) electric fields is used, and a nonlinear 3D finite element method is employed to simulate the dynamic response of functionally graded piezoelectric cantilever transducers. The effects of AC electric field amplitude and frequency, number of layers, and property gradation on the output voltage, deflection and internal stresses of the transducers are examined. Experimental results, which verify the model, are also presented using functionally graded piezoelectric bimorphs.