A Second Generation of Numerical Implementation of Nonlinear Piezoelectric Models in Commercially Available Tools Available to Purchase

Domain switching based nonlinear behavior is characteristic of relaxor-type piezoelectric material such as PMN-PT single crystals. These materials offer significant device performance improvements over traditional polycrystalline piezoelectric materials such as PZT-5A. The promise of increased performance of these materials has led to work in development of constitutive characterizations so that material behavior under load and material failure mechanisms can be understood and predicted. However, there is a gap between development of such theoretical developments and in workable manifestations available as part of commercial finite element codes for use in device design. In the current work, the authors extend previously documented implementation of a macro-mechanical constitutive model which addresses domain switching, into a commercially available finite element code. A rate dependent version of the constitutive model has been successfully realized and used to reproduce a variety of piezoelectric constitutive behaviors.