Effects of Sintering Technology on PMZN Piezoceramics Properties

Pb ( Mn1/3Sb2/3 ) x ( Zn1/3Nb2/3) y ( Zr0.535 Ti0.465 ),1-x-yO3 ( PMZN) piezoelectric ceramics were fabricated, The effects of sintering temperature and heat-treatment time on properties wen discussed, the optimum preparation technology parameters were obtained. In this case, the ceramics have the highest electromechanical coupling coefficients and mechanical quality factor and the least dielectric loss. It is revealed that the PMZN piezo-ceramics material can be utilized for high-power ultrasound transducers.

NATURAL FREQUENCIES OF SUBMERGED PIEZOCERAMIC HOLLOW SPHERES

An exact 3D analysis of free vibration of a piezoceramic hollow sphere submerged in a compressible fluid is presented in this paper. A separation method is adopted to simplify the basic equations for spherically isotropic piezoelasticity. It is shown that there are two independent classes of vibration. The first one is independent of the fluid medium as well as the electric field, while the second is associated with both the fluid parameter and the piezoelectric effect. Exact frequency equations are derived and numerical results are obtained.

ACTIVE VIBRATION SUPPRESSION VIA LINEARIZING HYSTERESIS OF PIEZOCERAMIC ACTUATORS

A novel active vibration control technique on the basis of linearized piezoelectric actuators is presented. An experimental apparatus consisting of a cantilever beam to which are attached strain patches and piezoceramic actuators to be used for active vibration suppression is described. A dynamical model of the cantilever beam using Lagrange＇s equation and two coordinate systems are presented. Based on the Lyapunov＇s direct method, an active vibration controller with hysteresis compensation is designed. The controller is designed so that it guarantees the global stability of the overall system. The controller developed is assessed experimentally.

Experimental Study of the Response of Transonic Diffuser Flow to a Piezoceramic Actuator at Diffuser Throat

An experimental study of the response of a piezoceramic actuator set at the throat to a transonic diffuser is carried out by measuring wall static pressure fluctuations and by visualizing the flow field using schlieren technique. The visualized flow fields are captured with a digital still camera and a digital high speed video camera. The piezo ceramic actuator is attached at the throat of the diffuser and driven by sinusoidal amplified voltage signals. The diffuser used in this experiment is circular arc half nozzle with the height h* and width w of 3 mm and 25 mm, respectively. The blockage factor of the piezoceramic actuator to the diffuser throat is 9.2% assuring the effect of change in the throat area rather than the boundary layer disturbances. The piezoceramic actuator is driven at the frequency of 100 Hz, 200 Hz, and 300 Hz and its amplitude is about 1 mm. It is found that the wall static pressure fluctuations and the behavior of the shock wave clearly correspond to the vibration of the piezo ceramic actuator for all the frequency ranges whereas the averaged shock position remains almost unchanged. All the results mentioned above suggest that driving the piezo ceramic actuator at the diffuser throat can be one of the promising techniques to control unsteady transonic diffuser flow.

Defect Engineering with Rational Dopants Modulation for High‑Temperature Energy Harvesting in Lead‑Free Piezoceramics

High temperature piezoelectric energy harvester(HTPEH)is an important solution to replace chemical battery to achieve independent power supply of HT wireless sensors.However,simultaneously excellent performances,including high figure of merit(FOM),insulation resistivity(ρ)and depolarization temperature(Td)are indispensable but hard to achieve in lead-free piezoceramics,especially operating at 250°C has not been reported before.Herein,well-balanced performances are achieved in BiFeO3–BaTiO3 ceramics via innovative defect engineering with respect to delicate manganese doping.Due to the synergistic effect of enhancing electrostrictive coefficient by polarization configuration optimization,regulating iron ion oxidation state by high valence manganese ion and stabilizing domain orientation by defect dipole,comprehensive excellent electrical performances(Td=340°C,ρ250°C>10^(7)Ωcm and FOM_(250°C)=4905×10^(–15)m^(2)N^(−1))are realized at the solid solubility limit of manganese ions.The HT-PEHs assembled using the rationally designed piezoceramic can allow for fast charging of commercial electrolytic capacitor at 250°C with high energy conversion efficiency(η=11.43%).These characteristics demonstrate that defect engineering tailored BF-BT can satisfy high-end HT-PEHs requirements,paving a new way in developing selfpowered wireless sensors working in HT environments.

Lead-free piezoceramic macro-fiber composite actuators toward active vibration control systems

Macro-fiber composite actuators(MFCAs)suffer from strict restrictions on the utilization of lead-containing precursors due to growing environmental concerns.To address this issue,a novel lead-free MFCA based on potassium sodium niobate piezoceramics has been developed using the dice&fill method.The MFCA demonstrates large electric field-induced displacement(31.4μm over-500-1500 V at 0.5 Hz),excellent frequency stability,and a strong linear relationship between the induced displacement and the external voltage amplitude.Meanwhile,unlike lead-based MFCA that requires superposition of a negative dc bias voltage to pursue higher output performance but risks depolarization,lead-free MFCA can achieve larger displacement by superimposing only a positive bias voltage.This device exhibits excellent reliability,maintaining a stable output over 10^(5) electrical cycles.Additionally,a“back-to-back”coupled MFCA has been developed to regulate bidirectional displacement,making it suitable for various practical applications,including active vibration control.This approach has resulted in a 90%vibration reduction and provides new insights into the design of MFCAs,further facilitating their application in active vibration control systems.

[001]-texturing of(K,Na)NbO_(3)-based piezoceramics with a pseudocubic structure and their application to piezoelectric devices

0.96(K_(0.5)Na_(0.5-z)Li_(z))(Nb_(0.92)Sb_(0.08))O_(3)-0.04(Ca_(0.5)Sr_(0.5))ZrO_(3)[(KN_(0.5-z)L_(z))NS-CSZ]piezoceramics(0≤z≤0.04)were aligned in the[001]orientation using 3%(in mole)NaNbO_(3)templates with a large Lotgering factor(>97%).Their crystal structures transformed from the orthorhombic-pseudocubic(O-P)structure to the orthorhombic-tetragonal-pseudocubic(O-T-P)structure with an increasing z.The P structure was interpreted as a rhombohedral R3m structure.The piezoelectricity of the compositions increased after[001]-texturing,and the enhancement was proportional to the O phase quantity.The composition(z=0.03)exhibited the highest piezoelectric constant(d_(33);670 pC/N)and electromechanical coupling factor(k_(p);0.56).Piezoelectric energy harvesters were produced using the untextured and textured samples(z=0.03).The textured harvester delivered a large power density of 26.6 mW/mm^(3),which was larger than that of the untextured harvester owing to the enhanced kp and d_(33)×g_(33) of the textured piezoceramic.A multilayer actuator was produced using the textured sample(z=0.03),and it exhibited a large acceleration(44.2 G)and displacement(±3,730 mm)at±25 V.Therefore,the[001]-textured(KN_(0.47)L_(0.03))NS-CSZ piezoceramic is suitable for piezoelectric energy harvesters and actuators.

Microstructure characterization and properties of porous piezoceramics

In this paper,a comprehensive study of microstructure/properties interrelations for porous piezoceramics based on PZT composition was performed.Experimental samples of porous piezoceramics were fabricated using a modified method of burningout a pore former.Porosity dependencies of elastic,dielectric,piezoelectric and electromechanical coefficients of the porous ceramics in the relative porosity range 0-50%were obtained and analyzed.As a result of microstructure analysis,it was found that at any connectivity type(3-0,3-3)and porosity up to 50%the real structures of porous piezoceramics were close to the matrix medium structure with continuous piezoceramic skeleton.It was also revealed that the microstructural features of porous piezoceramics define the character of the dependences of the dielectric,piezoelectric and electromechanical properties of porous piezoelectric ceramics on porosity.In conclusion,microstructure/properties interrelations,as well as new applications of porous piezoceramics were discussed.

Requirements for the transfer of lead-free piezoceramics into application

The recent review for the Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive(RoHS)by the expert committee,appointed by the European Union,stated that the replacement of PZT“…may be scientifically and technologically practical to a certain degree…”,although replacement“…is scientifically and technically still impractical in the majority of applications.”Thus,two decades of sustained research and development may be approaching fruition,at first limited to a minority of applications.Therefore,it is of paramount importance to assess the viability of lead-free piezoceramics over a broad range of application-relevant properties.These are identified and discussed in turn:1.Cost,2.Reproducibility,3.Mechanical and Thermal Properties,4.Electrical Conductivity,and 5.Lifetime.It is suggested that the worldwide efforts into the development of lead-free piezoceramics now require a broader perspective to bring the work to the next stage of development by supporting implementation into real devices.Guidelines about pertinent research requirements into a wide range of secondary properties,measurement techniques,and salient literature are provided.

Progress and perspective of high strain NBT-based lead-free piezoceramics and multilayer actuators

In this review,the evolution of high strain Na_(0.5)Bi_(0.5)TiO_(3)-based lead-free piezoceramics and their multilayer actuators has been explored.First,in terms of Na_(0.5)Bi_(0.5)TiO_(3)-based ceramic materials,the origin of high strain,the typical chemical modification methods of obtaining large strain and extrinsic factors affecting the large strain are discussed.Then it briefly summarizes the problems existing in Na_(0.5)Bi_(0.5)TiO_(3)-based ceramics for multilayer actuator applications.Strategies to optimize strain performance by means of microstructure control and phase structure design are also discussed.Thereafter,in terms of multilayer actuator,we describe its characteristics,applications and preparation process systematically,as well as the recent development of Na_(0.5)Bi_(0.5)TiO_(3)-based multilayer actuator.At last,perspectives on directions of following work and promising fields for the applications of the materials and their devices are presented.

Electromechanical properties of Ce-doped(Ba_(0.85)Ca_(0.15))(Zr_(0.1)Ti_(0.9))O_(3)lead-free piezoceramics

Lead-free piezoceramics based on the(Ba,Ca)(Zr,Ti)O3(BCZT) system exhibit excellent electromechanical properties for low-temperature actuation applications, but suffer from relatively high processing temperatures. Here we demonstrate an approach for the reduction of the sintering temperature and simultaneous increase of the electromechanical strain response of(Ba,Ca)(Zr,Ti)O3 piezoceramics by aliovalent doping with Ce. The samples were prepared by solid state synthesis and their crystallographic structure, dielectric, ferroelectric, and electromechanical properties were investigated. The highest d33* value of 1189 pm/V was obtained for the sample with 0.05 mol% Ce, substituted on the A-site of the perovskite lattice. The results indicate a large potential of these materials for off-resonance piezoelectric actuators.

A systematic analysis of the radial resonance frequency spectra of the PZT-based (Zr/Ti=52/48) piezoceramic thin disks

In this paper,both the ID radial mode and the equivalent circuit of a piezoceramic disk resonator were theoretically analyzed based on IEEE standards.And then,the radial resonance frequency spectra of the PZT-based(Nb/Ce co-doped Pb(Zro.s2Ti0.48)O3,abbreviated as PZT-NC)piezoceramic circular disks were measured by an impedance analyzer.A set of resonance frequency spectra including six electrical parameters:Z,R,X,Y,G,and B,were used for making a value distinction between three possible resonance frequencies,and between three possible antiresonance frequencies.A new-form Nyquist diagram was depicted to describe the position relations of these characteristic frequencies.Such a complete resonance frequency spectrum was used to perform the accurate calculation of some material constants and electromechanical coupling parameters for the PZT-NC piezoceramics.Further,the frequency dependence of the AC conductive behavior of the specimen was characterized by the complex impedance measurement.The values of AC conductivity at resonance/antiresonance were deduced from the equivalent circuit parameters.Moreover,the Van Dyke circuit model was assigned to each element contribution and the simulated curves showed a nice fitting with the experimental results.Finally,an additional impedance analysis associated with resonance frequency calculation revealed a complicated coupled vibration mode existing in the annular disk specimen.

Wind turbine blade health monitoring with piezoceramic-based wireless sensor network

In this paper,a piezoceramic-based wireless sensor network(WSN)was developed for health monitoring of wind turbine blades with active sensing approach.The WSN system has an access point that coordinates the network and connects to a PC to control the wireless nodes.One wireless node functions as an actuator to excite an embedded piezoceramic patch with desired guided waves.The remaining wireless nodes function as sensors to detect and transmit the wave responses at distributed locations.The damage status inside the blade was evaluated through the analysis of the sensor signals.Based on wavelet packet analysis results,a damage index and a damage matrix were developed to evaluate the damage status at different locations.To verify the effectiveness of the proposed approach,a static loading test and a wind tunnel test were performed in the Laboratory of Joint Wind Tunnel and Wave Flume at Harbin Institute of Technology(HIT),China.Experimental results show that damage in wind turbine blades can be detected and evaluated by the proposed approach.

Low-temperature sintered(Na_(1/2)Bi_(1/2))TiO_(3)-based incipient piezoceramics for co-fired multilayer actuator application

Low-temperature sintered(Na_(1/2)Bi_(1/2))_(0.935)Ba_(0.065)Ti_(0.975)(Fe_(1/2)Nb_(1/2))_(0.025)O_(3)(NBT-BT-0.025FN)lead-free incipient piezoceramics were investigated using high-purity Li_(2)CO_(3) as sintering aids.With the ≤0.5 wt%Li_(2)CO_(3) addition,the introduced Li^(+) cations precede to enter the A-sites of the perovskite lattice to compensate for the A-site deficiencies.Once the addition exceeds 0.5 wt%,the excess Lit cations will occupy B-sites and give rise to the generation of oxygen vacancies,which accelerate the mass transport and thus lower the sintering temperature effectively from 1100℃ down to 925℃.It was also found that a small amount of Lit addition has little effect on the phase structure and electromechanical properties of the system,but overweight seriously disturbs these characteristics because of the large lattice distortion.The sintered NBT-BT-0.025FN incipient piezoceramics with 1.25 wt%Li_(2)CO_(3) addition at 925℃ provides a large strain of 0.33% and a corresponding large signal piezoelectric coefficient d_(33)^(*) of 550 pm/V at 60 kV/cm,indicating this system is a very promising candidate for lead-free co-fired multilayer actuator application.

Ga2O3 doping and vacancy effect in KNN-LT lead-free piezoceramics

Ga2O3 was doped into 0.95（K0.48Na0.52）NbO3-0.05LiTaO3 （KNN-LT） cera- mics and its influences on the sintering behavior, phase structure and electrical properties of ceramics were studied. Firstly, SEM observation exhibits that more and more glass phase appears in ceramics with the gradual addition of Ga2O3, which determines the continuous decrease in sintering temperatures. And the addition of Ga2O3 is also found to increase the orthorhombic-tetragonal transition temperature （To-T） of system to a higher level. Secondly, both the density and the coercive field （Ec） of ceramics increase firstly and then decrease with increasing the Ga2O3 content, and the KNN-LT-xGa sample at x = 0.004 shows a pinched P-E hysteresis loop. Finally, the impedance characteristics of KNN-LT-xGa ceramics were investigated at different temperatures, revealing a typical vacancy related conduction mechanism. This work demonstrates that Ga2O3 is a good sintering aid for KNN-based ceramics, and the vacancy plays an important role in the sintering and electrical behaviors of ceramics.

The constant electric field effect on the radio absorption of crystals BaTiO_(3) and piezoceramics PCR-1

The effect of a constant electric field(E)on the absorption of microwave electromagnetic energy(L)by BaTiO_(3) crystals and the highly sensitive PCR-1 piezoceramic was studied.The field dependence of the absorption value LeET at the maximum of the spectrum Lef T has the form of a“butterfly”,and the dependence of the frequency shift of the maximum on the field strength f eET has a hysteretic character.The PCR-1 Lef T absorption spectrum at high E is modulated by pulses in a wide frequency range.It is assumed that the cause of the amplitude-frequency modulation of the spectrum may be the electromagnetic radiation of incomplete local discharges at the surface of piezoceramics.The change in the magnitude and position of the resonance maximum in the absorption spectra and the appearance of amplitude-frequency modulation Lef T when exposed to a constant field is interpreted from the point of view of changes in the parameters and concentration of the domains walls,as well as the a-and c-domain wedges of mechanical twins resonating in the electromagnetic field.

Dispersion characteristics of complex electromechanical parameters of porous piezoceramics

In this paper,the results of experimental study of dispersion characteristics of complex electromechanical parameters of ferroelectrically“hard”porous piezoceramics based on PZT composition were presented.Experimental samples of porous piezoceramics were fabricated using a modified method of burning-out a pore former.The complex constants of porous piezoceramics with relative porosity 16%and their frequency dependences were measured using the piezoelectric resonance analysis method.As a result of experimental studies,regions of elastic,piezoelectric and electromechanical dispersion,characterized by anomalies in the frequency dependences of the imaginary and real parts of the complex constants of porous piezoelectric ceramics were found.It was revealed also that the microstructural features of porous piezoceramics determine the character of frequency dependences of complex electromechanical parameters of porous piezoelectric ceramics.In conclu-sion,the microstructural and physical mechanisms of electromechanical losses and dispersion in porous piezoceramics were discussed.

Static experimentations of the piezoceramic d_(15)-shear actuation mechanism for sandwich structures with opposite or same poled patches-assembled core and composite faces

Static d_(15)-shear actuated smart composites consisting of glass fiber/epoxy layers sandwiching piezoceramic shear patches-assembled cores were investigated experimentally and numerically.The piezoceramic cores were formed by connecting two or three patches with the same or opposite polarization directions.For each cantilevered benchmark the shear-induced transverse tip deflection,under increasing actuation voltage,ranging from 61.5 V to 198 V,was measured by an electronic speckle pattern interferometer system.The performance of the shear actuated smart composites was characterized by their shear-induced transverse deflection per length per voltage.It was found that this performance is much better at high voltages for which the response becomes nonlinear.For verification of the experimental results the proposed benchmarks were simulated within ABAQUS®commercial code using three-dimensional piezoelectric finite elements.The comparison of the obtained experimental and simulation results show a nonlinear dependence of the transverse deflection for voltages higher than around 92 V.

Processing and Properties of Porous (K,Na)NbO_3-based Lead-free Piezoceramics

Porous piezoceramics are of interest for applications such as low frequency hydrophones. Porous(K,Na,Li)NbO_3-BaZrO_3-(Bi,Na)TiO_3 lead-free piezoceramics having vertical morphotropic phase boundary composition were fabricated by adding 30 μm-diameter acrylic resins. The ceramic powders were synthesized by a conventional solid-state reaction method and then mixed with the resins. Volume ratios of ceramics to resin were 90:10, 80:20, 70:30, and 60:40. After burning out the resins and binder, the specimens were sintered at 1170–1190 ℃ for 5 h. The porous specimen with 30 vol% acrylic resin had longitudinal acoustic velocity of 4518 m/s, acoustic impedance of 16.44 Mkg/(m^2·s), and hydrostatic figure of merit of 405×10^(-15)m^2/N. The hydrostatic figure of merit was about 4 times of that of monolithic ceramics. Compared with monolithic ceramics, the porous specimen had a better transducer sensitivity for underwater applications.

SMART STRUCTURES USING PIEZOELEMENTS FOR ACTIVE VIBRATION AND NOISE SUPPRESSION IN AVIATION AND AEROSPACE

Smart material and structure (SMS) is a challenging novel technique for the 21 century especially in fields of aviation and aerospace. Vibration and noise suppression smart structure is an important branch of SMS. There are several typical structures such as the cabin of an airplane, space station, the solar board of satellite and the rotor blade of a helicopter, of which the vibrations and radiation noises have bad influences on precise equipments and aiming systems. In order to suppress vibrations and noises of these structures, several algorithms are applied to the models which simulate the structures. Experiments are performed to suppress vibrations and noises by bonding sensors and actuators to the structures at the optimized locations and using computer based measurement and control systems. For the blade vibration control of a helicopter, a non contact method of signal transmission by magneto electric coupling is discussed. The experimental results demonstrate that the methods used for active control are effective.