The influence of mechanical stress on piezoceramic tubes

Advanced piezoelectric devices increasingly demand materials that can provide both an improved electrical and mechanical response. For many applications, it is vital that the material engineer can characterize how stresses will influence the material and device response. In this paper measurement methods have been developed to simultaneously characterize the mechanical and piezoelectric performance of small lead zirconate titanate (PZT) tubes subjected at high stress. The influence of PZT composition and poling direction has been considered. The effects of stress on the non-linear mechanical response are discussed with respect to observations made by impedance analysis. These findings will guide material selection for enhanced sensor and actuator design.