Determination of the piezoelectric properties of fine scale PZT fibres

Finite Element (FE) modelling is used to determine the effect of fibre volume fraction, aspect ratio and polymer matrix stiffness on the d(33) coefficients of 1-3 connectivity piezoelectric fibre composites. The aim is to use these observations as a means of determining the d(33) of fine scale lead zirconate titanate (PZT) fibres. Results from a I-D analytical model fit well with FE predictions for low aspect ratios. Two commercially available PZT-5A fibres, produced via the viscous suspension spinning process (VSSP) and an extrusion process, were fabricated into 1-3 composites with varying fibre volume fi-actions. The composite d(33) measurements are compared to the model predictions and used to determine the d(33) coefficients of the fibers. The d(33) of the VSSP fibres and extruded fibres is measured as 365 pCN(-1) and 235 pCN(-1) respectively using this method. The large difference in the piezoelectric coefficients is possibly linked to the grain size and porosity, which is examined using scanning electron microscopy.