Elasticity Solution of Polymeric Piezoelectric C-Block Composite Actuator

An elasticity solution is developed to investigate the mechanical behavior of polymeric piezoelectric C-block composite actuators, which were recently proposed to overcome the limitations of conventional bimorph and stack configurations. The stress functions are used to derive the general equations governing the behavior of induced strain actuation under various load conditions. Closed-form expressions are presented for the displacements and stresses. Comparisons of the present approach are made with classical elasticity solutions for curved beams and existing approximate solutions for curved actuators for a simplified case. The results from the current solution also provide physical insight into the mechanism of C-block actuators.