Finite element-based homogenization model to determine effective properties of 0–3 and 1–3 electrostrictive composite

Abstract

Representative volume element (RVE) based finite element method is employed to evaluate all the effective properties of electrostrictive composite. The attention is paid to designing the periodic boundary conditions to be applied to RVEs of electrostrictive study. The present study is conducted on particulate and fiber electrostrictive composites, in which electrostrictive ceramic (Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-PbTO3- BaTiO3, PMN-PT-BT) is embedded into a non electrostrictive polymer (epoxy) matrix. In particulate composite, the spherical particles are randomly distributed and in fiber composites, cylindrical fibers are arranged in a square and hexagonal pattern. The study reveals that the electrostrictive composite does not only depends on the inclusion’s volume but also on their microstructure. The electrostrictive coefficient of the proposed composite is more than its constituent materials owing to the auxiliary flexibility of polymer matrix.