Electrical body forces and electrical tractions in the nonlinear response of ferroelectric actuators

The influence of the electrical body forces and electrical tractions on the nonlinear response of ferroelectric stack actuators is analytically investigated. While the role of the electrical body forces and tractions in the response of piezoelectric actuators is well documented (and in many cases is not significant), the questions of their effect on ferroelectric active materials is still of interest. To examine this influence, the analytical model for the electro-mechanical behavior of a ferroelectric stack actuator is augmented to account for the electrical body forces along the actuator and the electrical tractions at the material–electrode interfaces. Focusing on the effect of the electrical forces and tractions on the ferroelectric domain switching phenomenon, the model is used for the numerical analysis of a ferroelectric layer and for the comparison with the case that neglects the electrical body forces and traction. The comparison theoretically designates cases in which the effect of the electrical body forces and tractions may be prominent and other cases where the classical approach that neglects these effects can be adopted.