Finite element analysis of a multilayer piezoelectric actuator taking into account the ferroelectric and ferroelastic behaviors

Ferroelasticity and ferroelectricity are the non-linear behaviors exhibited by piezoceramics, especially in the case of high electric field or stress. Many studies have focused on the role of ferroelastic and ferroelectric switching in fracture of actuators. However, engineering reliability analyzes are carried out with tools like finite element software that do not take into account these non-linear phenomena. To overcome such a problem, a simplified phenomenological constitutive law describing the non-linear behavior of piezoceramics has been developed and implemented in the commercial software ABAQUS. This finite element tool is used to study the effects of applied voltage on the electroelastic field concentrations ahead of electrodes in a multilayer piezoelectric actuator. The study lies on the experimental observations made by Shindo et al. [Y. Shindo, M. Yoshida, F. Narita, K. Horiguchi, Electroelastic field concentrations ahead of electrodes in multilayer piezoelectric actuators: experiment and finite element simulation, J. Mech. Phys. Solids 52 (2004) 1109–1124]. Electroelastic analysis on piezoceramics with surface electrode showed that high values of stress and electric displacement arose in the neighborhood of the electrode tip. Thus, the strain, stress and electric displacement concentrations were calculated and the numerical results showed that ferroelectric switching arose in the area of the electrode tip, causing a change in remnant polarization and remnant strain.