Discovered in 1880, piezoelectric materials play a key role in an innovative market of several billions of dollars. Recent advances in applications derive from new materials and their development, as well as to new market requirements. With the exception of quartz, ferroelectric materials are used for they offer both high efficiency and sufficient versatility to meet adequately the multidimensional requirements for application. Consequently, strong emphasis is placed on tailoring materials and technology, whether one deals with single crystals, ceramics or plastic materials. Tailoring requires a basic understanding of both physical principles and technical possibilities and limitations. This report elucidates these developments by a broad spectrum of examples, comprising ultrasound in medicine and defence industry, frequency control, signal processing by SAW-devices, sensors, actuators, including novel valves for modern motor management. It delivers a mutual fertilization of technology push and market pull that should be of interest not only to materials scientists or engineers but also to managers who dedicate themselves to a sound future-oriented R&D policy.

This collection of 32 major review papers provides a complete understanding of the physics of piezoelectricity. With a thorough overview of applications and a major section exploring measurements and standards, this volume gives a systematic derivation of piezoelectric coefficients and equations of state for coupling mechanical, electrical, and thermal fields. A useful graduate text for design engineers, materials scientists, chemists, metallurgists, and condensed matter physicists.

This book is based on lecture notes for a graduate course that has been offered at University of Nebraska-Lincoln on and off since 1998. The course is intended to provide graduate students with the basic aspects of the continuum modeling of electroelastic interactions in solids. A concise treatment of linear, nonlinear, static and dynamic theories and problems is presented. The emphasis is on formulation and understanding of problems useful in device applications rather than solution techniques of mathematical problems. The mathematics used in the book is minimal. The book is suitable for a one-semester graduate course on electroelasticity. It can also be used as a reference for researchers. I would like to take this opportunity to thank UNL for a Maude Hammond Fling Faculty Research Fellowship in 2003 for the preparation of the first draft of this book. I also wish to thank Ms. Deborah Derrick of the College of Engineering and Technology at UNL for editing assistance with the book, and Professor David Y. Gao of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University for recommending this book to Kluwer for publication in the series of Advances in Mechanics and Mathematics. JSY Lincoln, Nebraska 2004 Preface Electroelastic materials exhibit electromechanical coupling. They experience mechanical deformations when placed in an electric field, and become electrically polarized under mechanical loads. Strictly speaking, piezoelectricity refers to linear electromechanical couplings only.

This book introduces physical effects and fundamentals of piezoelectric sensors and actuators. It gives a comprehensive overview of piezoelectric materials such as quartz crystals and polycrystalline ceramic materials. Different modeling approaches and methods to precisely predict the behavior of piezoelectric devices are described. Furthermore, a simulation-based approach is detailed which enables the reliable characterization of sensor and actuator materials. One focus of the book lies on piezoelectric ultrasonic transducers. An optical approach is presented that allows the quantitative determination of the resulting sound fields. The book also deals with various applications of piezoelectric sensors and actuators. In particular, the studied application areas are · process measurement technology, · ultrasonic imaging, · piezoelectric positioning systems and · piezoelectric motors. The book addresses students, academic as well as industrial reseachers and development engineers who are concerned with piezoelectric sensors and actuators.

This book is based on lecture notes for a graduate course that has been offered at University of Nebraska-Lincoln on and off since 1998. The course is intended to provide graduate students with the basic aspects of the continuum modeling of electroelastic interactions in solids. A concise treatment of linear, nonlinear, static and dynamic theories and problems is presented. The emphasis is on formulation and understanding of problems useful in device applications rather than solution techniques of mathematical problems. The mathematics used in the book is minimal. The book is suitable for a one-semester graduate course on electroelasticity. It can also be used as a reference for researchers. I would like to take this opportunity to thank UNL for a Maude Hammond Fling Faculty Research Fellowship in 2003 for the preparation of the first draft of this book. I also wish to thank Ms. Deborah Derrick of the College of Engineering and Technology at UNL for editing assistance with the book, and Professor David Y. Gao of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University for recommending this book to Kluwer for publication in the series of Advances in Mechanics and Mathematics. JSY Lincoln, Nebraska 2004 Preface Electroelastic materials exhibit electromechanical coupling. They experience mechanical deformations when placed in an electric field, and become electrically polarized under mechanical loads. Strictly speaking, piezoelectricity refers to linear electromechanical couplings only.

The book discusses the underlying physical principles of piezoelectric materials, important properties of ferroelectric/piezoelectric materials used in today’s transducer technology, and the principles used in transducer design. It provides examples of a wide range of applications of such materials along with the appertaining rationales. With contributions from distinguished researchers, this is a comprehensive reference on all the pertinent aspects of piezoelectric materials.