Analytical and numerical modelling of 3-3 piezoelectric composites

A '3-3' piezocomposite is a structure in which both an active piezoelectric phase and a passive polymer phase are interconnected in three dimensions. These materials are of particular interest for low frequency hydrophones. P revious work investigating the hydrostatic behaviour of piezoelectric 3-3 c omposites has been undertaken as experimental work and analytical modelling . More recently, numerical modelling methods, such as finite element modell ing (FEM), have been used to evaluate the effect of parameters such as the polymer volume fraction, the properties of the piezoelectric phase and the properties of the polymer phase on the hydrostatic behaviour of these mater ials. The aim of this s paper is s to investigate the microstructure-proper ty relationships of 3-3 piezocomposites under hydrostatic pressures, to opt imise the structure of the material and to understand any discrepancies in the predicted behaviour of the material by both analytical and numerical mo delling methodologies.