COMPUTATIONAL STUDY OF WAVE PROPAGATION IN SECOND-ORDER NONLINEAR PIEZOELECTRIC MEDIA

In this paper, we present computational results for the response of piezoelectric materials with 6mm symmetry when subjected to shock loads. The governing equations are based on a second-order theory of piezoelectricity for the 6mm crystal class formulated in a Lagrangian reference configuration. These equations represent the fully coupled nonlinear rnultiphysics response. Numerical solutions of these equations are first verified using analytical solutions for wave propagation in linear piezoelectric media. The effects of the nonlinear coupling introduced by higher order elastic, dielectric and piezoelectric coupling coefficients are then examined. The wave speed is shown to be lower than the bar velocity predicted by linear piezoelectricity for large strains.