Using modified Halpin Tsai based approach for electromechanical analysis of functionally graded graphene reinforced piezoelectric tile

Abstract

This study focuses on the electromechanical study of functionally graded graphene reinforced piezoelectric composite (FG-GRPC) structures using the modified Halpin Tsai (MHT) micromechanics model. Two piezoelectric material matrices, namely PZT-5H and PVDF, are reinforced with GPLs, an ultralightweight and highly rigid carbonaceous nanofiller. The developed graphene reinforced piezoelectric composites (GRPC) vary in the thickness direction to form FG-GRPC, with GPLs evenly scattered throughout the material matrix. The MHT model and Rule of the mixture (ROM) are used to determine the effective modulus of elasticity, poisson’s ratio, density, and piezoelectric characteristics of the GRPC structure. The spatial variation in composition across the thickness of FG-GRPC structural tiles is determined by a simple power law distribution. The voltage and power metrics of a circuit are calculated using first order shear deformation theory and Hamilton's approach from the governing differential equations of motion. An exhaustive parametric study is undertaken with an emphasis on the effects of GPL weight percentage, material grading exponent, thickness ratio, and frequency on the circuit metrics of FG-GRPC structures. Our findings indicate that the material grading exponent and a limited number of GPLs considerably improve the circuit parameters of FG-GRPC tiles. This study will demonstrate the required physical insights for coupled modelling of microelectromechanical systems, with applications spanning pressure sensors, small ultrasonic motors, active controllers, and intelligent systems.