Abstract
Finite Element (FE) analysis has been performed on the representative volume element of piezoelectric composite actuators with Interdigitated Electrodes (IDE). In these investigations, the effect of the IDE geometry on the deformation performances and the failure hazards, due to field concentrations, is modeled. These numerical models take into account local details such as complicated electrode patterns, local variations of the poling direction due to curved field lines and the existence of the electrodes. Numerical simulations show that the novel electrode designs can significantly ameliorate the micro-strain by selecting the appropriate geometrical parameters. Moreover, the developed results demonstrate that the electrical field concentrations, in case of newly electrode edge, can be highly decreased, allowing to reduce the risk of premature failure of the piezoelectric actuator. These proposed models are compared to previously classical models, which dont take into account local details.