Wave propagation in layered piezoelectric rings with rectangular cross sections

Abstract

Wave propagation in multilayered piezoelectric structures has received much attention in past forty years. But the research objects of previous research works are almost only for semi-infinite structures and onedimensional structures, i.e., structures with a finite dimension in only one direction, such as horizontally infinite flat plates and axially infinite hollow cylinders. This paper proposes a double orthogonal polynomial series approach to solve the wave propagation in a two-dimensional (2-D) layered piezoelectric structure, namely, a multilayered piezoelectric ring with a rectangular cross-section. Through numerical comparison with the available reference results for a purely elastic multilayered rectangular straight bar, the validity of the double polynomial series approach is illustrated. The dispersion curves and electric potential distributions of various layered piezoelectric rectangular rings with different material stacking directions, different polarization directions, different radius to thickness ratios, and different width to thickness ratios are calculated to reveal their wave propagation characteristics.