Electroelastic response of a piezoelectric cylinder with D∞ symmetry under axisymmetric mechanical loading

• Electroelastic field in a cylinder with D∞ symmetry was formulated for the 1st time.
• Field variables inside the cylinder were elucidated qualitatively and quantitatively.
• Possibility of using PLLA for sensing and actuating devices was confirmed.

To understand the electroelastic field in fibers made of biodegradable polymers such as poly-l-lactic acid, we theoretically analyze the axisymmetric electroelastic field in a solid and infinitely long cylinder with D∞ symmetry, when subjected to a combined pressure and torsional shear stress. By introducing two kinds of displacement potential functions and an electric potential function and applying a Fourier transform technique, we derive the formulae for the electroelastic field quantities inside the body. Moreover, by performing numerical calculations, we elucidate the field both qualitatively and quantitatively, and investigate the possibility of using fibers made of poly-l-lactic acid for medical engineering applications.