Application Cases

Experiment Name: High-Power Piezoelectric Performance Testing Methods and Temperature-Power Decoupling Study for PZT-5H

Research Direction: High-Power Piezoelectric Material Testing

Experiment Content: This study investigates the piezoelectric and dielectric properties of piezoelectric materials operating under high-power conditions. Since piezoelectric properties under small-signal conditions cannot be directly applied to high-power transducers, a comprehensive impedance method combining the advantages of constant voltage and constant current methods, as well as an improved transient method, have been developed for high-power testing of PZT-5H piezoelectric ceramics. The effects of power and temperature on the performance of PZT-5H, particularly the trends of the electromechanical coupling coefficient
K31, piezoelectric constant d31, and elastic compliance SE11 with increasing power, as well as the rapid decay and stabilization of the mechanical quality factor _Qm, were studied.

Testing Equipment: ATA-3080 power amplifier, PZT-5H ceramic, Doppler laser vibrometer, infrared thermal imager, etc.

Figure: Schematic diagram of the high-power piezoelectric performance testing methods and temperature-power decoupling study for PZT-5H

Figure: Photographs of the high-power piezoelectric performance testing methods and temperature-power decoupling study for PZT-5H

Experiment Process: The experiment used PZT-5H ceramic as the piezoelectric oscillator with dimensions of 30×8×0.5 mm. The vibration velocity and surface temperature of the oscillator were measured in real-time using a Doppler laser vibrometer and an infrared thermal imager, respectively. The comprehensive impedance method combined impedance spectra measured by the constant current and constant voltage methods, ensuring the same vibration velocity of the oscillator under both methods using the Doppler laser vibrometer. The transient method involved applying a short-duration sinusoidal pulse to excite the oscillator and recording the vibration decay curve to calculate piezoelectric performance. Both methods were conducted at different power levels to study the effects of power and temperature on piezoelectric performance.

Test Results: The results showed that with increasing power,K31,d31 and SE11 of PZT-5H increased, while Qm rapidly decayed and then stabilized at a fixed level. Under the comprehensive impedance method, the oscillator temperature significantly increased due to self-heating; whereas, the transient method produced almost no heat, keeping the oscillator at room temperature. By comparing the results of the two methods, the effects of temperature and power on high-power piezoelectric performance were successfully decoupled. The results indicated that self-heating temperature amplified the effects of power on,K31,d31 andSE11, while the effect on Qmwas negligible.

Power Amplifier Recommendation: ATA-3080C Power Amplifier

Figure: Specifications of the ATA-3080C Power Amplifier