A model-updating procedure to simulate piezoelectric transducers accurately

The use of numerical calculations based on finite element methods (FEM) has yielded significant improvements in the simulation and design of piezoelec tric transducers piezoelectric transducer utilized in acoustic imaging. How ever, the ultimate precision of such mo es is directly controlled by the ac curacy of material characterization. The present work is dedicated to the d evelopment of a model-updating technique adapted to the problem of piezoele ctric transducer. The updating process is applied using the experimental ad mittance of a given structure for which a finite element analysis is perfor med. The mathematical developments are reported and then applied to update the entries of a FEM of a two-layer structure (a PbZrTi-PZT-ridge glued on a backing) for which measurements were available. The efficiency of the pro posed approach is demonstrated, yielding the definition of a new set of con stants well adapted to predict the structure response accurately. Improveme nt of the proposed approach, consisting of the updating of material coeffic ients not only on the admittance but also on the impedance data, is finally discussed.