A new approach to one-dimensional piezoelectric transducer modelling

It is shown that a piezoelectric element vibrating in an extensional or shear mode can be modeled rigorously in a novel way by systematic use of the transmission line analogy and the superposition theorem. A novel schematic representation of such an element that is somewhat more intuitive that other representations, particularly Mason's model, is introduced. The stresses on the electrode faces are considered as sources applied at the ends of an acoustic transmission line, since the acoustic perturbations may be considered as originating on these faces. Using transmission line theory, a complete set of expressions is found for electrical impedance, acoustic stresses, and velocities. Computed results are exactly the same as those given by the classical method, even if the computation sequence is almost entirely different.<>