Multiscale Modeling Methodology for Layered Composites of Polymer-Ferroelectric Ceramics

A multiscale modeling scheme of electromechanical coupling of ferroelectric ceramic composites is proposed, which is effective for quantitatively analyzing the relationships among variables of micro/meso/macroscopic and structural (sensor or actuator) scales. This is done by developing effective constitutive equations of material at an intermediate scale, which can be used to connect the mechanical and electric variables between the smaller and larger scales. The methodology is exemplified through investigating the behavior of ferroelectric ceramics of PLZT. The key for connection of variables at different scales is through the remnant polarization and strain at the mesocell. This study deals with the connection of macroscopic variables of ceramics with those of polymer layers for developing constitutive equations for the layered composites of sensors. The numerical results agree with the well-known nonlinear butterfly curve of strain versus electrical field. The influence of volume fraction of the ceramic layers and the relative Young’s modulus on the behavior of the composites are discussed here.