Lead-free electrostrictive bismuth perovskite ceramics with thermally stable field-induced strains

Electric field-induced strain (EFIS) properties of Bi_1/2(Na_0.82K_0.18)_1/2TiO₃ (BNKT) ceramics modified with Sr(K_1/4Nb_3/4)O₃ (SKN) have been investigated as functions of composition and temperature. BNKT ceramics near a phase boundary revealed the coexistence of ferroelectric rhombohedral and tetragonal phases, resulting in a typical ferroelectric butterfly-shaped bipolar S–E loop at room temperature, whose normalized strain (S_max/E_max) showed a significant temperature coefficient of 0.38 pm/V/K. However, 5 mol% SKN-modified BNKT ceramics revealed a typical electrostrictive behaviour with a thermally stable electrostrictive coefficient, Q₃₃ = 0.021 m⁴/C², which is almost comparable to that of Pb(Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃ (PMN) ceramics that have been dominantly used as Pb-based electrostrictive materials over the last decades.     

Weibull statistics for expanded ring flexure tests of ceramics

An analysis has been developed for obtaining tensile strength distribution parameters from expanded ring flexure tests by considering the non-uniform stress distribution which occurs in the test. It is shown that expanded ring flexure strengths overestimate the tensile strength by approximately 5 to 10%.     

Investigation of electrostrictive polymers for energy harvesting

The recent development of electrostrictive polymers has generated new opportunities for high-strain actuators. At the current time, the investigation of using electrostrictive polymer for energy harvesting, or mechanical to electrical energy conversion, is beginning to show its potential for this application. In this paper we discuss the mechanical and electrical boundary conditions for maximizing the energy harvesting density and mechanical-to-electrical coupling of electrostrictive materials. Mathematical models for different energy harvesting approaches were developed under quasistatic assumptions. Energy harvesting densities then are determined for representative electrostrictive material properties using these models. Comparison with a magnetic-based energy harvesting system suggests that electrostrictive energy harvesting systems are preferable for "small" energy harvesting applications with low-frequency excitation.     

A dynamics model for nonlinear electrostrictive actuators

This paper examines the nonlinear vibration of an electrostrictive ceramic rod actuator excited by a harmonic voltage source. A frequency-domain model was developed using the nonlinear constitutive law for electrostriction. The results predict harmonic distortion of the device's displacement due to the ceramic's nonlinear behavior. AC voltage signal and DC voltage bias were studied to determine the optimum power source parameters for minimizing distortion. The calculations show that the rod's resonance frequency and amplitude depend on the electromechanical coupling strength and differ greatly for large AC voltages from the equivalent linear piezoelectric results. The nonlinear analysis relates the device's electromechanical coupling coefficient to the computed resonance and antiresonance frequencies. This important result could provide the basis for future measurement of the electrostrictive coupling coefficient using resonance techniques.     

Dimensional stability tests over time and temperature for several low-expansion glass ceramics

The dimensional stabilities of five commercially available low-expansion glass ceramics have been measured between -40 °C and +90 °C. Materials tested include Zerodur, Zerodur M, Astrositall, Clearceram 55, and Clearceram 63. With the use of a standardized thermal testing procedure, the thermal expansion, isothermal shrinkage, and hysteresis behavior of the various materials are compared with one another. A detailed comparison of three separate melts of Astrositall, two separate melts of Zerodur, and one melt of Zerodur M indicates that between -40 °C and +90 °C the dimensional stability and uniformity characteristics of two of the melts of Astrositall are somewhat better than those of the other two materials. To my knowledge, this is the first published comparison of data from these glass ceramics taken with identical test procedures.     

Modeling of the electrostrictive, dielectric, and piezoelectric properties of ceramic PbTiO(3)

The upper and lower limits of the electrostrictive constants, dielectric permittivities, spontaneous polarizations, and piezoelectric coefficients were calculated for ceramic PbTiO(3) from theoretical single-crystal constants. Experimental ceramic data fall between these upper and lower limits. The large piezoelectric anisotropy d(33)/d(31) of ceramic PbTiO(3 ) was shown to be related to the single-crystal PbTiO(3) electrostrictive anisotropies Q(11)/Q(12 ) and Q(44)/Q(12). The possibility of a change in sign of the ceramic d(31) coefficient due to a slight variation in the single-crystal electrostrictive anisotropies was discussed. The single-crystal and predicted ceramic hydrostatic electrostrictive constants were found to be equal. Using this result the ceramic hydrostatic g(h ) coefficient is always smaller than the single-crystal g (h), but the ceramic hydrostatic d(h) coefficient can be either larger or smaller than the single-crystal d(h) depending on the dielectric anisotropy (epsilon (11)/epsilon(33)) of the single-crystal.     

Investigation of electrostrictive polymer efficiency for mechanical energy harvesting

The purpose of this paper is to propose new means for harvesting energy using electrostrictive polymers. Recent trends in energy conversion mechanisms have demonstrated the abilities of electrostrictive polymers for converting mechanical vibrations into electricity. In particular, such materials present advantageous features such as a high productivity, high flexibility, and ease of processing; hence, the application of these materials for energy harvesting purposes has been of significant interest over the last few years. This paper discusses the development of a model that is able to predict the energy harvesting capabilities of an electrostrictive polymer. Moreover, the energy scavenging abilities of an electrostrictive composite composed of terpolymer poly(vinylidenefluoride-trofluoroethylene- chlorofluoroethylene) [P(VDF-TrFE-CFE)] filled with 1 vol% carbon black (C) is evaluated. Experimental measurements of the harvested power and current have been compared with the theoretical behavior predicted by the proposed model. A good agreement was observed between the two sets of data, which consequently validated the proposed modeling to optimize the choice of materials. It was also shown that the incorporation of nanofillers in P(VDF-TrFE-CFE) increased the harvested power.     

Modeling of piezoelectric multilayer ceramics using finite elementanalysis

For medical ultrasound imaging, 2-D array transducers have greater versatility than linear arrays. Unfortunately, the tiny array elements in a 2-D array have poor signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). We have previously shown that SNR is increased in 2-D array transducers made from piezoelectric multilayer ceramics. Conventional one-dimensional models provide accurate results when comparing multilayer ceramic performance relative to single layer transducers. However, these models are not accurate when comparing simulations directly to measurements. Because multilayer ceramics have a complex structure, a 3-D model, such as finite element analysis, is needed for accurate simulations. We modeled four arrays that were previously fabricated: a single layer and multilayer 1 MHz, 2-D array element, and a single layer and multilayer 2.25 MHz, 1.5-D array element that can focus and steer in azimuth but only steer in the elevation dimension. We compared the simulated and measured impedance plots for each transducer. The finite element analysis plots accurately predicted the impedance for each vibration mode. On the other hand, the one dimensional KLM transmission line model could simulate only the thickness mode vibrations and the results were inaccurate compared to measurements. We also simulated the transmit output pressure for the 2.25 MHz arrays and compared the results to measurements. The simulated pressure vs. time plots and their spectra were accurate when compared to measurements. Finally, we obtained a series of images that show the impulse response vibrations for the 2.25 MHz, arrays. These animations show the vibration modes in the complex multilayer ceramic structure. Measurements were not available to confirm the animations. Our results show that finite element analysis in three dimensions is a valuable tool to predict the performance of multi-layer transducers     

Comparison of shear strength tests on AV119 epoxy-joined ceramics

The results of an experimental investigation on epoxy-joined CVD SiC and alumina tested in shear and apparent shear mode by four different configurations are presented. Ceramics have been joined by an epoxy adhesive (AV119), which is not to be considered as the final joining material for high temperature applications, but just as a model brittle joining material chosen to obtain several joined samples in a reasonable time. Advantages and disadvantages of each configuration are discussed and compared to results obtained with the same epoxy-joined carbon/carbon composites, tested by the same shear tests.     

Rayleigh waves in electrostrictive dielectric solids

Summary The possibility of the propagation of Rayleigh waves in an electrostrictive dielectric medium is investigated. It is shown that such waves can propagate, but they induce some body forces and surface tractions.     

PMN-xPT陶瓷的介电温谱拟合与分析

用双机制模型分析、拟合了不同PT组份弛豫型铁电陶瓷PMN-xPT的介电行为.研究表明随着PT组份的增加,极化机制发生明显的变化.通过分析极化机制随频率变化的情况,解释了Tm与ω的V-F关系的拟合参数随频率区间改变的现象.     

非光滑表面加工机器人建模及热辊压工艺研究

针对油气管道内壁涂层减阻结构加工问题,提出一种能在管道内壁涂层表面加工出仿生非光滑表面减阻结构的方法。建立管道内壁辊压加工机器人结构模型,对双凸轮组件运动情况进行动力学分析,结合材料的流动特性,分析聚合物涂层材料在玻璃态转化温度附近的流动特性,建立聚合物黏弹性数学模型,利用黏弹性模型描述聚合物涂层的流变行为,采用数值模拟方法,研究热辊压过程中控制参数对热辊压后表面质量的影响,在辊压速度为0.5、1.0、1.5 rad/s三种情况进行辊压实验。结果表明:聚合物材料的流动变形量在保持温度不变的情况下,随着时间的增加而增加,在结束时刻,涂层凹坑形貌的回弹现象伴随着温度的降低而停止;在恒定辊压速度下,聚合物涂层凹坑的复制率随温度的升高而增大,温度较高时,蠕变速度加快,在辊压温度为150℃的2T/3时刻,聚合物涂层凹坑的形貌效果最佳,在辊压温度较低时,延长保压时间可达到相同的填充效果;在辊压速度为0.5 rad/s时,辊压后凹坑形貌与理想凹坑形貌最为接近,表现出较好的聚合物时间依赖性。     

Love waves in electrostrictive dielectric media

Summary The possibility of the propagation of Love waves in an electrostrictive dielectric medium is investigated. It is shown that such waves can propagate, but the electric surface potential introduces some other features.     

An arc-shaped crack in an electrostrictive material

The plane problem of a circular-arc crack in an infinite electrostrictive solid under remote electric fields is studied based on the complex variable method. First, explicit solutions for the complex potentials are presented in closed-form. Secondly, intensity factors of total pseudo stresses are derived by taking the Maxwell stresses around the infinite surrounding space and inside the crack into account. Then, numerical results are given to discuss the effects of electric fields on the fracture of electrostrictive materials. It is found that when the interior of the crack is filled with the same gas as that at infinity, the applied electric field has no effects on crack growth; however, when the interior of crack and the surrounding space at infinity are filled with different gases, the applied electric field may either enhance or retard crack growth, which depends on the electric boundary conditions adopted on the crack faces, the Maxwell stresses on the crack faces and at infinity, and the central angle of the crack.