Coupled problems of thermal and electromechanical fields in advanced materials with porous microstructure

No. VEGA 2/0046/16
Duration: 01. 01. 2016 – 31. 12. 2019
Teamleader: V. Sladek
Team members: J. Sladek, M. Repka, L. Sator, M. Vrabec

Main goal of this project is to analyze coupling phenomena of thermal, electric and mechanical fields in porous piezoelectric media. Various coupling effects are possible between the physical fields leading to possible new applications. Characterization of these effects will be performed via computer simulations. Two material models for piezoelectric media will be considered – dielectric piezoelectric model and semiconductor piezoelectric model. Effect of porosity on thermal, electric and mechanical response will also be investigated. Besides the well-developed numerical methods a novel formulation of scaled boundary finite element method (SBFEM) will be considered for the numerical analyses. Advantages of this method can be effectively utilized to predict the behavior of porous piezoelectric media in multilayer or 3D axisymmetric problems. Research results may be useful for the optimal design of advanced piezoelectric sensors and devices to enhance their measurement capabilities or structural integrity.