Finite element analysis of piezoelectric transducers

Abstract

Electromechanical transducers, first used in sonar systems, convert electrical energy into mechanical energy, thanks to the piezoelectric effect, then to acoustic energy, with the generation and the radiation of an acoustic wave in a fluid. To design new transducers and to understand their physical behaviour, several physical mechanisms have to be described (piezoelectric- elastic-fluid-structure coupling-acoustic radiation). To solve such problems, analytical and semi-analytical approaches often rely upon simplifying hypotheses, in terms of geometry of the transducers, behaviour of the piezoelectric part of the device, radiation condition or frequency range of interest. Among these approaches, the equivalent electrical scheme (Beranek 1954) is based on a classical lumped constant representation with masses and springs, and the transfer matrix (Neppiras 1973) uses plane wave approximations.With the help of analytical expressions, these approaches become operational tools, leading to the realization of numerous transducers. © 2008 Springer-Verlag US.