High nonlinearities in Langevin transducer: a comprehensive model.

The design and simulation of power transducers are difficult since piezoelectric, dielectric and elastic properties of ferroelectric materials differ from linear behavior when driven at large levels. This paper is devoted to modeling of a resonant power transducer at a high level of dynamic mechanical stress. The power transducer is subjected to a sine electrical field E of varying frequency which was considered as the excitation of the transducer. The mechanical equation of the piezoelectric element is written using electrostriction. The dielectric part is written as a nonlinear function of an equivalent electric field including stress influence (scaling relationship between electric field and mechanical stress). Using various simulations, we show then that typical resonance nonlinearities are obtained, such as jump phenomenon of transducer speed amplitude and phase, resonance peak that become asymmetric, and diminution of mechanical quality factor. As a consequence, we state that those typical nonlinearities are only due to dielectric nonlinearities, in good correlation with typical ferroelectric behavior. Moreover, this demonstrates the usefulness of scaling relationships in ferroelectrics, which explain static depoling under stress and butterfly strain hysteresis loop. The same scaling law gives here several nonlinearities for resonant transducers as well.

A new adaptive resonance frequency of piezoelectric components used for vibration damping.

This paper describes two methods for vibration damping in a broad band frequency range using a piezoelectric patch. The first method, applied to an adaptive device, uses a bias (static voltage control), which applies stresses or releases stresses in a piezoelectric component to modify its mechanical characteristics and thereby its resonance frequency. The second method is based on a semipassive approach [synchronized switch damping (SSD)], developed to control structural vibration damping using a piezoelectric component. Attenuations of 10 and 4.8 dB in vibration velocity have been obtained using the adaptive frequency and SSD methods.

Wave reflection and transmission reduction using a piezoelectric semipassive nonlinear technique.

This study addresses the problem of noise reduction using piezoelements. The nonlinear technique, synchronized switch damping (SSD), is implemented. The device is a pulse-tube termination equipped with piezoelements, which allows performant damping of the vibration resulting from an incident acoustic wave. Due to this damping, both reflected and transmitted wave are reduced. In the semipassive damping approach proposed in this paper, energy degradation is strongly enhanced when the piezoelements are continuously switched from open to short circuit synchronously to the strain. This technique has been developed following two strategies. The first is SSD on a short circuit in which the piezoelement is always in open circuit, except for a very brief period at each strain extremum where it is short-circuited. The second approach is SSD on an inductor. The process is very similar, except that instead of forcing the voltage to zero, the voltage is exactly reversed using a controlled oscillating discharge of the piezoelement capacitor on an inductor during switch drive. Due to this switching mechanism, a phase shift appears between the strain and the resulting voltage, thus creating energy dissipation. Following SSD on an piezoelement, attenuations of 15 dB in reflection and 7 dB in transmission were obtained.

Thermo-mechanical stress effect on 1-3 piezocomposite power transducer performance.

This paper deals with the emission performance of 1-3 piezoelectric composite power transducers made with a hard PZT (Navy III) and epoxy resins with a high glass-rubber transition temperature. Following the "dice and fill" technique, various composite transducers with 30 and 50% PZT volume fractions were fabricated with an air backing and no front matching layer with resonance operating frequencies around 500 kHz. The transducers were first evaluated under isothermal conditions, with a low emission duty cycle. Efficiencies as high as 95% were monitored as a function of the instantaneous input power up to a 60 W/cm(2) density. The effect of the polymer matrix mechanical losses and the fabrication conditions is then discussed. For the transducer thermal stability, the case of long duty cycle or continuous emission was considered in a second evaluation. In this case the transducer working temperature and axial radiated pressure were monitored as functions of the input power density up to 40 W/cm(2). It is shown that the transducer efficiency and working temperature were strongly dependent on the type of resin used but also on the PZT material, even for hard PZT compositions. A composite transducer configuration with strongly improved thermal stability was investigated demonstrating a working temperature higher than 90 degrees C and an extended power range (30-40 W/cm(2)). The composite thermal breakdown mechanism was analyzed and the effect of the curing-induced thermo-mechanical stresses on the PZT mechanical losses was considered in relation to the composite working temperature. Measurements of the composite mechanical losses versus the temperature were obtained and related to the variation of the PZT mechanical losses with the stresses due to the composite transducer temperature change. It is found that the thermally induced stress can strongly influence the PZT ceramic mechanical losses and that it can be the reason for a thermal breakdown taking place at a temperature much lower than the epoxy resin transition.

Investigations on ferroelectric PMN-PT and PZN-PT single crystals ability for power or resonant actuators.

Ferroelectric single crystals of PZN-PT and PMN-PT exhibit outstanding properties: high charge coefficient (dij), high coupling factor (kij) and high strain levels under DC fields. Besides, their mechanical quality factor is believed to be low. Their usefulness for non-resonant or large bandwidth transducers has therefore been previously investigated. However, few studies have been devoted to the dielectric and mechanical losses of single crystals and to their stability under high levels of excitations (electric fields, temperature and mechanical stress). A knowledge and understanding of such performances is needed to determine whether single crystals are suitable materials for power or resonant transducers. In this work, losses and non-linearity versus external excitations are investigated. Dielectric losses and mechanical losses are measured versus electric field for different compositions, orientations. The evolution of d33 and epsilonT33 are obtained versus electric field and temperature for the longitudinal mode. Strain and hysteresis versus sweep mode (up and down) are measured near the resonance frequency using a laser Doppler vibrometer.

Selecting passive and active materials for 1.3 composite power transducers.

1.3 PZT-polymer composites were fabricated using the dice and fill method with various PZT types and volume fractions. These composites were evaluated for power underwater transducer applications with an air backed and no matching layer configuration. Electrical input and acoustical output powers were monitored as a function of the drive level. Total acoustic power densities of 30 W/cm2 were obtained with a P189/epoxy piezocomposite vibrating at 350 kHz with a low duty cycle (1-5%) and with a 90% efficiency. Power densities up to 20 W/cm2 were measured with a 50% duty cycle. Evolution and destruction of the transducers were monitored versus increasing averaged power. It was observed that better efficiencies were obtained with low volume fraction configurations allowing natural acoustic impedance matching to water. It was found that hard PZT type (Navy III) are optimal compositions even for piezocomposite transducers. It is shown that, unlike a common belief, the polymer mechanical losses are comparable to those of the active ceramic justifying that 1.3 piezocomposites are suited for low-cost power applications. In fact, the main limitation induced by the polymer phase is a strong thermal breakdown when the temperature of the transducer approaches the glass transition region of the polymer. Measurements of the polymer losses as a function of the temperature were obtained confirming this point and offering interesting new alternatives for future composite power transducers.

Characterization of the mechanical nonlinear behavior of piezoelectric ceramics.

A characterization of the nonlinear behavior with high signal excitation in piezoceramic resonators was carried out. The behavior of power devices working at resonance, in which high strains are involved, is explained. A theoretical model previously described is used to explain the motional impedance variation proportional to the square of the motional current. This impedance increase DeltaZ is independent of the frequency and explains: the nonlinear elasticity that produces the A-F effect, the nonlinear mechanical losses that increase greatly close to the resonance, and the hysteresis phenomenon produced with frequency sweeps. Different methods for measuring the mechanical nonlinear coefficients of piezoceramics with high signal excitation are presented. An experimental method is proposed to measure the mechanical loss tangent and the compliance variations as a function of the mean square strain in the piezoceramic. This consists in measuring the maximum admittance and the series resonance frequency for downward frequencies. At this jumping point, the phase angle remains zero whatever the amplitude of the excitation. Two main coefficients characterizing the material mechanical nonlinearity are deduced. Experimental measurements were carried out to compare the nonlinearity of different ceramic materials in longitudinal and transverse mode.