Calculations of the effective properties of 1-3 type piezoelectric composites with various rod/fibre orientations

The effective properties of non-conventional 1-3 type piezoelectric composi tes with various orientations of lead zirconate titanate rods/fibres aligne d in an epoxy matrix are calculated using the recently developed Green's fu nction technique. The effects of the volume fraction and (polarization) ori entation of the ceramic rods/fibres on the effective piezoelectric properti es are presented in detail. The theoretical predictions demonstrate the int eresting behaviour of the composites and provide a general guideline for op timizing the microstructural scale of such non-conventional 1-3 composites for piezoelectric transducers.