Effect of uniaxial stress upon the electromechanical properties of various piezoelectric ceramics and single crystals

A systematic investigation of the stress-dependent (sigma) electromechanical properties of various ferroelectric ceramics and single crystals has been performed. Studies have been carried out on hard and soft piezoelectrics, electrostrictive ceramics, and various orientations of (1-x)Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O-3-(x) PbTiO3 PMN-x% PT single crystals. The large signal piezoelectric constant, acoustic power density, and coupling coefficient have been determined by calculation. The results are compared, in order to develop an understanding of the relative merits of the different types of active acoustic materials.