The role of piezoelectric rods in 1–3 composite for the hydrostatic response applications

Piezoelectric composite materials, an important part of smart structure, have the ability to perform both sensing and actuating functions. The 1–3 piezoelectric composite consists of piezoelectric rods embedded across the polymer. Such materials have been applied effectively in the pulse-echo transducers used in medical ultrasonic imaging. The composite can also be used for underwater vibration or noise controlling with its high coupling factor and low acoustic impedance, for both the shear and the compression damping characteristics can be controlled by inclining the piezoelectric rods. In this paper, a simple physical model of 1–3 piezoelectric composite was developed to illustrate the material's properties that are relevant to the hydrostatic response. It evaluated the influences of the oblique angles, volume fraction and the parameters of PZT rods and polymer to its hydrostatic properties and came up with a solution to maximize the electromechanical coupling factor and the acoustic impedance.