A finite element formulation for piezoelectric shell structures considering geometrical and material non‐linearities

In this paper, we present a non‐linear finite element formulation for piezoelectric shell structures. Based on a mixed multi‐field variational formulation, an electro‐mechanical coupled shell element is developed considering geometrically and materially non‐linear behavior of ferroelectric ceramics. The mixed formulation includes the independent fields of displacements, electric potential, strains, electric field, stresses, and dielectric displacements. Besides the mechanical degrees of freedom, the shell counts only one electrical degree of freedom. This is the difference in the electric potential in the thickness direction of the shell. Incorporating non‐linear kinematic assumptions, structures with large deformations and stability problems can be analyzed. According to a Reissner–Mindlin theory, the shell element accounts for constant transversal shear strains. The formulation incorporates a three‐dimensional transversal isotropic material law, thus the kinematic in the thickness direction of the shell is considered. The normal zero stress condition and the normal zero dielectric displacement condition of shells are enforced by the independent resultant stress and the resultant dielectric displacement fields. Accounting for material non‐linearities, the ferroelectric hysteresis phenomena are considered using the Preisach model. As a special aspect, the formulation includes temperature‐dependent effects and thus the change of the piezoelectric material parameters due to the temperature. This enables the element to describe temperature‐dependent hysteresis curves. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A posteriori error estimates of mixed methods for miscible displacement problems

The miscible displacement of one incompressible fluid by another in a porous medium is governed by a system of two equations. One is an elliptic equation of the pressure and the other is a parabolic equation of the concentration of one of the fluids. Since the pressure appears in the concentration only through its velocity field, we choose a mixed finite element method to approximate the pressure equation and for the concentration we use the standard Galerkin method. We shall obtain an explicit a posteriori error estimator in L²(L²) for the semi‐discrete scheme applied to the non‐linear coupled system. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Coupled three‐layered analysis of smart piezoelectric beams with different electric boundary conditions

This paper presents a theoretical and finite element (FE) formulation of a three‐layered smart beam with two piezoelectric layers acting as sensors or actuators. For the definition of the mechanical model a partial layerwise theory is considered for the approximation of the displacement field of the core and piezoelectric face layers. An electrical model for different electric boundary conditions (EBC), namely, electroded layers with either closed‐ or open‐circuit electrodes with electric potential prescribed or layers without electrodes, is considered. Using a variational formulation, the direct piezoelectric effect for the different EBC is physically incorporated into the mechanical model through appropriate approximations of the electric field in the axial and transverse directions. An FE model of a three‐layered smart beam with different EBC is proposed considering a fully coupled electro‐mechanical theory through the use of effective stiffness parameters and a modified static condensation. FE solutions of the quasi‐static electrical and mechanical actuations and natural frequencies are presented. Comparisons with numerical FE and analytical solutions available in the literature demonstrate the representativeness of the developed theory and the effectiveness of the proposed FE model for different EBC. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A geometrically non‐linear piezoelectric solid shell element based on a mixed multi‐field variational formulation

This paper is concerned with a geometrically non‐linear solid shell element to analyse piezoelectric structures. The finite element formulation is based on a variational principle of the Hu–Washizu type and includes six independent fields: displacements, electric potential, strains, electric field, mechanical stresses and dielectric displacements. The element has eight nodes with four nodal degrees of freedoms, three displacements and the electric potential. A bilinear distribution through the thickness of the independent electric field is assumed to fulfill the electric charge conservation law in bending dominated situations exactly. The presented finite shell element is able to model arbitrary curved shell structures and incorporates a 3D‐material law. A geometrically non‐linear theory allows large deformations and includes stability problems. Linear and non‐linear numerical examples demonstrate the ability of the proposed model to analyse piezoelectric devices. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

球对称压电壳的随机最优控制

分析研究球对称压电壳在边界随机激励下的最优控制问题。给出压电壳的机电动力学方程、应力和电位移表达式,建立其随机最优控制问题方程;通过电势积分转化为机械振动控制方程。通过位移变换和Galerkin法,导出关于模态位移的多自由度振动最优控制方程。根据随机动态规划原理,建立HJB方程,得到压电壳的最优控制电势;并给出受控壳系统的频响函数、响应谱密度和相关函数等表达式,以计算其随机响应。最后给出数值结果,显示压电壳的随机最优控制效果。     

Coupled mechanics and finite element for non‐linear laminated piezoelectric shallow shells undergoing large displacements and rotations

A theoretical framework is presented for analysing the coupled non‐linear response of shallow doubly curved adaptive laminated piezoelectric shells undergoing large displacements and rotations. The formulated mechanics incorporate coupling between in‐plane and flexural stiffness terms due to geometric curvature, coupling between mechanical and electric fields, and encompass geometric non‐linearity effects due to large displacements and rotations. The governing equations are formulated explicitly in orthogonal curvilinear co‐ordinates and are combined with the kinematic assumptions of a mixed‐field shear‐layerwise shell laminate theory. Based on the above formulation, a finite element methodology together with an incremental‐iterative technique, based on Newton–Raphson method is formulated. An eight‐node coupled non‐linear shell element is also developed. Various evaluation cases on laminated curved beams and cylindrical panels illustrate the capability of the shell finite element to predict the complex non‐linear behaviour of active shell structures including buckling, which is not captured by linear shell models. The numerical results also show the inherent capability of piezoelectric shell structures to actively induce large displacements through piezoelectric actuators, by jumping between multiple equilibrium states. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

平面应变轴对称压电圆柱壳的随机响应

提出求解随机激励轴对称压电圆柱壳响应的一种方法，并导出相应的解析表达式。首先给出压电圆柱壳在边界随机激励下的基本方程；然后通过位移与电势的变换，将随机激励变换到运动方程中；再利用Legendre多项式展开位移，应用Galerkin法化偏微分的运动方程为常微分方程组；最后根据随机振动理论，得到压电圆柱壳位移与加速度响应的均方值，由此可计算随机响应、分析有关因素的影响与机电耦合关系等。分析说明了存在的机电耦合项，及由此产生广义刚度的非对称性。     

Assessment of coupled 1D models for hybrid piezoelectric layered functionally graded beams

A unified formulation is presented for coupled efficient zigzag, third order, consistent third order and first order models for hybrid piezoelectric layered FGM beams under thermoelectromechanical load. The transverse as well as inplane electric fields are considered. The potential and thermal fields are discretised sublayerwise as piecewise linear which can adequately approximate the actual distributions of these fields across the thickness. The zigzag theory accounts for the non-uniform deflection across the thickness due to the potential and thermal fields and satisfies exactly the conditions on transverse shear stress at the top, bottom and layer interfaces. The governing equilibrium equations have been derived from a variational principle. For the first time, the accuracy of the 1D models is assessed in direct comparison with the exact 2D solutions for elastic as well as piezoelectric hybrid layered FGM beams for mechanical, potential and thermal loads. The effects of the inhomogeneity parameter, span-to-thickness ratio and electric boundary conditions are investigated. It is established that the zigzag theory results are superior to those of other 1D models, even though they have the same number of displacement variables.     

A magneto-electro-elastic material with a penny-shaped crack subjected to temperature loading

Summary The analysis of intensity factors for a penny-shaped crack under thermal, mechanical, electrical and magnetic boundary conditions becomes a very important topic in fracture mechanics. An exact solution is derived for the problem of a penny-shaped crack in a magneto-electro-thermo-elastic material in a temperature field. The problem is analyzed within the framework of the theory of linear magneto-electro-thermo-elasticity. The coupling features of transversely isotropic magneto-electro-thermo-elastic solids are governed by a system of partial differential equations with respect to the elastic displacements, the electric potential, the magnetic potential and the temperature field. The heat conduction equation and equilibrium equations for an infinite magneto-electro-thermo-elastic media are solved by means of the Hankel integral transform. The mathematical formulations for the crack conditions are derived as a set of dual integral equations, which, in turn, are reduced to Abel's integral equation. Solution of Abel's integral equation is applied to derive the elastic, electric and magnetic fields as well as field intensity factors. The intensity factors of thermal stress, electric displacement and magnetic induction are derived explicitly for approximate (impermeable or permeable) and exact (a notch of finite thickness crack) conditions. Due to its explicitness, the solution is remarkable and should be of great interest in the magneto-electro-thermo-elastic material analysis and design.     

径向极化压电陶瓷管的径向振动研究

结合平面应变和三维压电弹性力学理论,对径向极化厚壁压电陶瓷细长管的径向振动进行了研究,得出位移函数、电势函数的精确解。利用振子静电电荷方程导出电位移及电场强度函数,解决了电压与电场强度非线性关系问题,进而辅助maple软件首次对厚壁管形振子等效电导纳进行研究,推出了精确的谐振反谐振频率方程。利用数值法得出了不同尺寸管形振子的谐振反谐振频率,并通过有限元分析,结果表明了本文理论的准确性与精确性,为压电陶瓷厚壁振子的理论研究及设计提供了依据。     

压电复合梁热机电耦合有限元模型

压电材料应用于航天结构形状或振动控制时,可能会受到热场、力场和电场的共同作用。为分析处于热场、力场和电场共同作用下的压电复合结构,文中基于高阶剪切变形理论、高阶电势模型和线性温度分布假设,利用虚功原理建立了压电复合梁结构的热-机-电耦合有限元模型。该模型可应用于热机电耦合压电复合结构的形状与振动控制研究。利用本文模型对压电双晶片梁、压电复合悬臂梁进行了数值仿真,仿真结果与文献给出的理论结果和实验值吻合良好,表明本文模型是正确有效的。     

压电复合材料三维壳体简化数值建模研究

为有效分析三维压电复合材料壳体结构非线性、 单向耦合压电弹性问题, 基于变分渐近方法(VAM)建立了壳体结构在机械和电场作用下的简化模型。推导了基于旋转张量分解概念的压电复合材料三维壳体能量表达式; 利用变分渐近法将三维壳体严格拆分为二维壳体线性分析和沿法线方向的一维非线性分析; 进行了降维后近似能量推导及Reissner-Mindlin形式转换; 提供了三维场重构关系以得到沿厚度方向的准确应力分布。通过对由4层压电复合材料构成的壳体柱形弯曲算例分析表明: 基于该理论和重构过程开发的变分渐近程序VAPAS重构生成的三维应力场精确性较一阶剪切变形理论和古典层合理论更好, 与三维有限元精确解相吻合, 表明该压电复合材料壳体模型的有效性。      

The scattering of electro-elastic waves by a spherical piezoelectric particle in a polymer matrix

This paper is devoted to the study of scattering of plane harmonic waves by a piezoelectric sphere with spherical isotropy embedded in an unbounded isotropic polymer matrix. The scattered displacement field and the electric potential in the matrix are expressed in terms of spherical vector wave functions and spherical harmonic functions, respectively. For the field points inside the inhomogeneity, new displacement functions are introduced. Expansion of the new displacement functions and the electric potential in terms of spherical harmonic functions, the equations of motion and electrostatic lead to four second order ordinary differential equations (odes), where three of them are coupled. The coupled system of odes is solved by the generalized Frobenius series. This approach is readily used to handle low and high frequencies. Three different types of piezoelectric inhomogeneities, PZT-4, PZT-5H, and BaTiO₃ are considered and the associated piezoelectric effects on the electro-mechanical fields, differential and total scattering cross-sections are addressed.     

Fully coupled non‐linear analysis of piezoelectric solids involving domain switching

Domain switching is the cause of significant non‐linearity in the response of piezoelectric materials to mechanical and electrical effects. In this paper, the response of piezoelectric solids is formulated by coupling thermal, electrical, and mechanical effects. The constitutive equations are non‐linear. Moreover, due to the domain switching phenomenon, the resulting governing equations become highly non‐linear. The corresponding non‐linear finite element equations are derived and solved by using an incremental technique. The developed formulation is first verified against a number of benchmark problems for which a closed‐form solution exists. Next, a cantilever beam made of PZT‐4 is studied to evaluate the effect of domain switching on the overall force–displacement response of the beam. A number of interesting observations are made with respect to the extent of non‐linearity and its progressive spread as the load on the beam increases. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Computational approach of piezoelectric shells by the GDQ method

A piezoelectric laminated cylindrical shell with shear rotations effect under the electromechanical loads and four sides simply supported boundary condition was studied by using the two-dimensional generalized differential quadrature (GDQ) computational method. The typical hybrid composite shells with 3-layered cross-ply [90°/0°/90°] graphite–epoxy laminate and bounded PVDF layers are considered under the sinusoidal pressure loads and electric potentials on the shell. The governing partial differential equation with first-order shear deformation theory in terms of mid-surface displacements and shear rotations can be expressed in series equations by the GDQ formulation. Thus we obtain the GDQ numerical solutions of non-dimensional displacement and stresses at center position of laminated piezoelectric shells. Displacement is generally affected by the thickness of laminated piezoelectric shells under the action of mechanical load. Stresses are generally affected by the thickness and the length of laminated piezoelectric shells under the actions of mechanical load and electric potential.     

A sub-layer model for a thick piezoelectric patch bonded on elastic substrate

Summary. In this paper, the two-dimensional electromechanical coupling problems that a piezoelectric patch of finite size bonded to an elastic substrate are considered. A subdivision model that the single physical piezoelectric layer is mathematically divided into a number of thinner layers is proposed to analyze the electromechanical responses of the structures. Within each virtual sub-layer of the piezoelectric patch the electric displacement and normal stress in the axial direction are assumed to be linear functions of the thickness coordinate. Hellinger-Reissner variational principle for elasticity is extended to the systems of piezoelectric multi-materials. The governing equations that comprise one-dimensional differential equations and integro-differential equations are rigorously derived from the stationary conditions of the variational functional along with substitution of the assumed electromechanical fields. The subdivision model satisfies all mechanical and electric continuity conditions across the virtual interfaces and the physical interface of piezoelectrics/substrate. The numerical solutions of the governing equations are conducted, and the convergence of the subdivision model is demonstrated.     

Damage-based fracture with electro-magnetic coupling

A coupled elastic and electro-magnetic analysis is proposed including finite displacements and damage-based fracture. Piezo-electric terms are considered and resulting partial differential equations include a non-classical wave equation due to the specific constitutive law. The resulting wave equation is constrained and, in contrast with the traditional solutions of the decoupled classical electro-magnetic wave equations, the constraint is directly included in the analysis. The absence of free current density allows the expression of the magnetic field rate as a function of the electric field and therefore, under specific circumstances, removal of the corresponding magnetic degrees-of-freedom. A Lagrange multiplier field is introduced to exactly enforce the divergence constraint, forming a three-field variational formulation (required to include the wave constraint). No vector-potential is required or mentioned, eliminating the need for gauges. The classical boundary conditions of electromagnetism are specialized and a boundary condition involving the electric field is obtained. The spatial discretization makes use of mixed bubble-based (of the MINI type) finite elements with displacement, electric field and Lagrange multiplier degrees-of-freedom. Three verification examples are presented with very good qualitative conclusions and mesh-independence.     

On the validity of characterizing eddy current phenomena by parabolic partial differential equations

Eddy current problems are commonly solved by neglecting displacement current. This assumption reduces Maxwell's equations to a parabolic partial differential equation [1]. It is shown that neglecting displacement currents entirely may reduce the space dimension of the problem and yields the magnetic and electric fields in the conducting regions accurately. However, the electric fields in the air regions are very inaccurate, and the charge distribution resulting on the conducting surfaces is absent in the standard solution, which neglects displacement currents and longitudinal field variations. The standard solution is found to yield the proper value of skin depth over a very wide range of conductivity, permeability, and frequency.     

Time and frequency domain analysis of piezoelectric energy harvesters by monolithic finite element modeling

The successful design of piezoelectric energy harvesting devices relies upon the identification of optimal geometrical and material configurations to maximize the power output for a specific band of excitation frequencies. Extendable predictive models and associated approximate solution methods are essential for analysis of a wide variety of future advanced energy harvesting devices involving more complex geometries and material distributions. Based on a holistic continuum mechanics modeling approach to the multi‐physics energy harvesting problem, this article proposes a monolithic numerical solution scheme using a mixed‐hybrid 3‐dimensional finite element formulation of the coupled governing equations for analysis in time and frequency domain. The weak form of the electromechanical/circuit system uses velocities and potential rate within the piezoelectric structure, free boundary charge on the electrodes, and potential at the level of the generic electric circuit as global degrees of freedom. The approximation of stress and dielectric displacement follows the work by Pian, Sze, and Pan. Results obtained with the proposed model are compared with analytical results for the reduced‐order model of a cantilevered bimorph harvester with tip mass reported in the literature. The flexibility of the method is demonstrated by studying the influence of partial electrode coverage on the generated power output.