Influence of secondary converse piezoelectric effect on deflection of fully covered PZT actuators

This paper investigates the influence of secondary converse piezoelectric effect (SCPE) on the deflection of fully covered piezoelectric (PZT) actuators. An analytical model based on the theory of plates and shells as well as a finite element model (FEM) is developed to predict the deflection of the actuator with and without SCPE. Experimental results of the fabricated disc-type and ring-type thick-film PZT actuators agree with both analytical and FEM results. After the influence of SCPE is eliminated, the deflections of disc-type and ring-type actuators with 0.6 electrode radius ratio increase by ∼12.7% and ∼21.2%, respectively. Furthermore, the effects of the electrode size and PZT/Si thickness ratio on SCPE are investigated. The maximum influence of SCPE on deflection can be more than 20% for both types of actuators, which should not be neglected in practical applications.