Axial load transfer from a piezoelectric cylindrical fiber into a transversely isotropic elastic matrix

Piezocomposites are a popular class of smart material that are used in a wide range of advanced engineering applications. A common form is the 1-3 piezocomposites used in underwater hydrophones and other acoustical applications. It is important to know the coupled electromechanical behaviour of a piezoelectric fiber-matrix system to design composites with enhanced properties. This paper is an attempt to obtain a fundamental understanding of the fiber-matrix interaction in a 1-3 piezocomposite. The case of a long cylindrical piezoelectric fiber embedded in a transversely isotropic elastic matrix with 'electrically impermeable conditions along the fiber-matrix interface is considered. The fiber is perfectly bonded to the medium and subjected to a uniformly distributed axial load over its cross-section. General solutions corresponding to an infinite piezoelectric fiber with a vertical body force and an infinite transversely isotropic elastic medium with a cylindrical hole are derived by using Fourier integral transforms. These general solutions are used to solve the load transfer boundary-value problem. Numerical results for the axial force, electric field and displacements are examined to understand the load diffusion and electromechanical interaction in a fiber-matrix system. In addition, shear stress along the interface is also studied for various fiber-matrix systems to understand the interfacial behaviour.