Consideration of electro-mechanical coupling in the prediction of 1-3 piezocomposite properties

Type 1-3 piezocomposites consist of aligned piezoelectric rods embedded in a passive polymer matrix. The governing equations for mechanical deformation and electric field in the piezoelectric rods are coupled. Most of the existing micromechanical models for predicting properties of these composites have assumed that the electric field in the ceramic can be solved from the electrostatics of a rigid rod and that the electric field in the rod is constant. These assumptions lead to significant simplification and uncoupling of the governing equations. In the current investigation, a solution is obtained for the coupled displacement and electric fields in a representative volume element (RVE) for the piezocomposite. Effective hydrostatic constants for the composite are predicted and compared to those calculated using the uncoupled solution. The results obtained provide quantitative information on how various parameters affect the hydrostatic response of the composites.