Design and properties of Gaussian-type 1-3 piezoelectric composites

Here we developed three types of 1-3 connectivity piezoelectric composites consisting of the piezoelectric ceramic rods of gauss variation. The piezoelectric strain constant of the composites exhibits good gauss distribution along the length or radial directions of the composites. The electromechanical and acoustic properties of the piezoelectric composites are greatly improved. The kt value of the Gaussian area array composite is 65.02%, which increases by 30% compared with the piezoelectric ceramic. The acoustic impedance value of the composites with Gaussian linear array, Gaussian orthotropic linear array and Gaussian area array is 5.15, 4.74 and 5.93 MRayl, respectively. Our work shows that the ultrasonic transducer which has broad bandwidth, good acoustic impedance matching ability and small acoustic beam side lobe effect can be achieved based on the proposed Gaussian piezoelectric composites.