Ferroelectric and ferroelastic piezoceramics - modeling of electromechanical hysteresis phenomena

This paper deals with the constitutive modeling of ferroelectric and ferroe lastic piezoceramics which are of gaining importance for modern sensing and actuation applications. First, the basic properties of these materials wil l be discussed in terms of their microstructure. Then, the recent literatur e on constitutive modeling is looked at, considering both microscopic and p henomenological approaches. Next. a simplifying constitutive model is prese nted describing the main large signal hysteresis phenomena of piezoceramics . The model was developed for purposes of structural mechanics analyses by means of the finite element method and its benefits to the understanding of complex residual stress and poling states in piezoceramic devices are demo nstrated. Finally, a thermodynamically based and microscopically motivated constitutive model for piezoceramics will be sketched.