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A study on a new method for flexoelectric coefficient estimation of the flexoelectric unimorph sensing element

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Abstract

In the flexoelectric sensing element using the bending mode, the estimation of the flexoelectric coefficient was investigated using 3-D stress/strain analysis and experiments. The proposed method uses the results (deformation and strain) from the finite element analysis (FEA). The estimated flexoelectric coefficients were compared with those obtained via the conventional method (Euler’s beam theory) under the assumption of the quasi 1-D stress field. The results show that the RMS value and standard deviation of the estimated flexoelectric coefficient for the 3-D stress-field case of the sensing element are 31.51 µC/m and 0.24 %, respectively. In addition, it is found that the flexoelectric coefficient obtained from the results of the 3-D stress analysis is 1.8 % smaller than that of the quasi-1-D stress analysis. Therefore, in order to obtain a more reliable flexoelectric coefficient in the sensing element, the results of the 3-D numerical stress analysis should be used for accurate estimation of the flexoelectric coefficient.

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Abbreviations

δ :

Displacement at the center tip of the element

l x :

Length of the unimorph

l y :

Thickness of the unimorph

l z :

Half width of the unimorph

q 0 :

Charge output

P y :

Polarization in y direction

μ 12 :

Transverse flexoelectric coefficient

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Science, ICT & Future Planning (NRF-2017R1A2B4009049).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Korea Institute for Robot Industry Advancement, Daegu, Korea

    Seol Ryung Kwon

  2. Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Korea

    Yongrae Roh

Authors
  1. Seol Ryung Kwon
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  2. Yongrae Roh
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Seol Ryung Kwon.

Additional information

Seol ryung Kwon received the Ph.D. degree in mechanical engineering from North Carolina State University in 2014. Currently, she is a senior researcher in Korea Institute for Robot Advancement, Daegu, Korea. Her major research interests include design and fabrication of flexoelectric sensors, mechatronics and micro manufacturing and standardization for intelligent robots.

Yongrae Roh received his B.S. and M.S. degrees from Seoul National University, Korea, in 1984 and 1986, respectively. He got his Ph.D. degree in Engineering Science and Mechanics from the Pennsylvania State University, USA, in 1990. From 1990 to 1994, he worked in the Research Institute of Industrial Science & Technology, Korea, as a senior research scientist. He joined Kyungpook National University, Korea, in 1994 and now is a Professor in the School of Mechanical Engineering. His major research area includes development of piezoelectric devices, medical ultrasonic transducers, and acoustic transducers for underwater SONAR systems.

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Kwon, S.R., Roh, Y. A study on a new method for flexoelectric coefficient estimation of the flexoelectric unimorph sensing element. J Mech Sci Technol 36, 2259–2263 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-022-0408-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-022-0408-z

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