PIEZOCERAMIC MATERIALS & PROPERTIES

PIEZOCERAMIC PROPERTIES

Values to be used as guidelines

PIEZOELECTRIC
Piezo Systems' Designation

PSI-5A4E
PSI-5H4E
Navy type II; Industry Type Navy type VI; Industry
Industry Designations
5A
Type 5H
Composition
Lead Zirconate Titanate
Lead Zirconate Titanate
T
(@ 1 KHz)Relative Dielectric Constant
K3
1800
3800
Piezoelectric "d" coefficients relate the Strain Produced / Electric Field Applied or the Short Circuit Charge Density Produced / Stress Applied
meter/Volt or
d33
390 x 10-12
650 x 10-12
Coulomb/Newton
meter/Volt or
d31
-190 x 10-12
-320 x 10-12
Coulomb/Newton
Piezoelectric "g" coefficients relate the Open Circuit Electric Field Produced / Stress Applied or the Strain Produced / Charge Density Applied
Volt-meter/Newton or
g33
24.0 x 10-3
19.0 x 10-3
meter2/Coulomb
Volt-meter/Newton or
g31
-11.6 x 10-3
-9.5 x 10-3
meter2/Coulomb
Coupling Coefficient
k33
0.72
0.75
k31
0.35
0.44
6
Polarizing Field
Ep
Volt/meter
> 2 x 10
> 1.5 x 106
Initial Depolarizing Field
Ec
Volt/meter
~ 5 x 105
~ 3 x 105
Coercive Field
Ec
Volt/meter
~ 1.2 x 106
~ 8 x 105

MECHANICAL
Density

Kg/meter3

7800

7800

Mechanical Q
Elastic Modulus
THERMAL
Thermal Expansion Coefficient
Curie Temperature

Y3
YE1

Newton/meter
Newton/meter2

80
5.2 x 1010
6.6 x 1010

32
5.0 x 1010
6.2 x 1010

meter/meter C
C

~ 4 x 10-6
350

~ 3 x 10-6
230

PIEZOCERAMIC SINGLE SHEETS

Sheet stock for building piezo transducers and devices.
LARGE SHEETS with NICKEL ELECTRODES

PSI - 5A4E PIEZO SHEETS

with nickel electrodes.
Length and Width: 2.85" (72.4mm) square.
Standard Thicknesses: .005" (.127mm); .0075" (.191mm); .0105" (.267mm);
.020" (.508mm); .040" (1.02mm); and .080" (2.03mm).
PSI - 5H4E PIEZO SHEETS
with nickel electrodes.
Length and Width: 2.85" (72.4mm) square.
Standard Thicknessess: .005" (.127mm); .0075" (.191mm) and .0105" (.267mm).
CIRCULAR SHEETS with NICKEL ELECTRODES

PSI - 5A4E PIEZO DISKS

with nickel electrodes.
Diameters: .125" (3.2mm); .25" (6.4mm); .50" (12.7mm); 1.25" (31.8mm);
and 2.50" (63.5mm).
Thickness: .0075" (.191mm)
CUSTOM PIEZO SHEETS

CUSTOM: Including shapes, wires and coating.

Please contact sales for a price quote.

GLOSSARY & SYMBOL USAGE

DEFINITIONS

Bimorph

A common term for "bender" or flexure element. Two layers

of piezoceramic with or without a center shim.

Capacitance (free) Referring to capacitance measurement on piezoelectric

sample, the capacitance value obtained with sample being
totally free of mechanical constraint during measurement
process.
Capacitance
(clamped)

Referring to capacitance measurement on a piezoelectric

sample, the capacitance value obtained with sample being
totally constrained from motion (i.e., "clamped") during
measurement.

Coercive Field

Relating to a uniform ferroelectric material, the electric field

required to oppose and bring to zero the internal polarization.

Charge Constant
(d)

see "d" Constant

Compliance (s)

see "s" Constant

Coupling
Coefficient
(k)

A dimensionless number related to the effectiveness of

electrical to mechanical energy conversion in nonresonant
piezoelectric devices.

Curie
Temperature:

Temperature at which the crystal structure undergoes a phase

change from non-symmetrical lattice (such as tetragonal) to
symmetrical lattice (such as cubic). Drastic dielectric and
piezoelectric coefficient changes accompany this phase
change.

"d" Constant

The piezoelectric constant relating applied electric field to

resultant strain (units of meters per volt).

Density

In reference to piezoceramics, the mass per unit volume of a

fired ceramic body. High density is an important measure of
the quality and uniformity of ceramic material because it
indicates the absence of microscopic pores which weaken the
ceramic and cause poling difficulties.

Dielectric
Constant

see "K" Constant (capital "K"!)

Electrostrictive
Materials

An important class of solid state motor materials which

exhibit strains proportional to the square of the applied

electric field strength. (By contrast piezoelectric materials

exhibit strains directly proportional to the applied field
strength.
Ferroelectric
Materials

Class of crystalline materials which possess an internal

polarization which can be reversed by an externally applied
field, i.e., a crystalline material which can be poled. All of
the commonly used piezoceramics are ferroelectric.

Flaw Detection

An early practical application of piezoelectrics, taking

advantage of the fact that ultrasonic sound waves travel
freely in a solid object (such as a steel girder) until they hit an
air bubble or a structural flaw, at which point they reflect
backwards and are detectable.

Frequency
Constant

see "N" Frequency Constant.

"g" Constant

Piezoelectric coefficient relating the stress applied to a crystal

to the resultant electric field in the crystal (units of volt
meters per Newton).

"K" Constant
(Dielectric
Constant)

For a piezoceramic material, the ratio of its dielectric

permittivity to the dielectric permittivity of free space (8.85 E
-12 Farads
per Meter).

Mechanical Q

Referring to both piezoelectric materials and nonpiezoelectric materials - the INVERSE of the percentage of
mechanical input energy which is converted to heat (the
balance being stored as recoverable elastic energy). A
material with Q = 100, when subjected to 1.00 Joules of
work, will lose .01 Joules to internal heating.

"N" Frequency
Constant

Referring to resonating piezoelectric bodies of various

geometries - the product of the resonant frequency and the
length of the body along the axis of motion for the designated
vibrational mode.

Piezo Electricity

An observed phenomenon in some crystals - the generation

of surface charges in response to applied stresses.

Pyroelectricity

An observed phenomenon in some crystals - the generation

of surface charges in response to the application of uniform
temperature changes.

"s" Constant

In an elastic body, the ratio of uniaxial strain to uniaxial

(compliance)

stress.

Saw Device

Piezoelectric acoustic device employing surface acoustic

waves.

Sonar

Name given to piezoelectric application consisting of

measuring distances to submerged objects by broadcasting a
sound "pulse" and timing the reflected signal.

Strain

The ratio of change-in-length to length. Used in describing

the effects of applied stresses or applied electric fields.

Stress

In a mechanical sample, the ratio of applied force to crosssectional area which bears that force.

Ultrasonic

Refers to the frequency of operation of an electric or acoustic

device - a general term for "higher than 20 kiloherz".

Voltage Constant
(g)

see "g" constant.

Young's Modulus Elastic modulus of a solid sample, i.e., the ratio of stress in a
sample to applied strain. For practical purposes, Young's
modulus is equal to the inverse of the appropriate "s"
constant.
LIST OF SYMBOLS
Symbol

Name

Unit

Area

m2

Capacitance

Diameter

Di *

Dielectric displacement

C / m2

dij *

Piezoelectric charge constants

C/N

Ei *

Electric field components

V/m

Ec

Coercive field

V/m

Fr

Resonant frequency

Hz

Force

Fb

Blocking force

gij *

Piezoelectric voltage constants

Vm/N

Shear modulus

N / m2

Electromechanical coupling coefficient

k33

Longitudinal coupling coefficient

k31

Transverse coupling coefficient

k15

Shear coupling coefficient

kp

Planar coupling coefficient

kt

Thickness coupling coefficient

keff

Effective coupling coefficient

KijS *

Relative dielectric constant at constant strain

KijT *

Relative dielectric constant at constant stress

Length

Pressure

N / m2

Pyroelectric coefficient

C / m2 K

Pi

Polarization components

C / m2

Power

Mechanical quality factor

Electric charge

Qs

Short circuit charge

Electrical resistance

sijE *

Elastic compliance at constant E

m2 / N

Si

Strain components

Smax

Maximum recommended strain

Time

Thickness

tr

Response time

Thickness

Ti *

Stress components

N / m2

Volume

m3

Electrical voltage

Vo

Open circuit voltage

vs

Velocity of sound

m/s

Deflection

xo

Free deflection

Thermal expansion coefficient

1/K

Dielectric constant of free space

F/m

Density

kg / m3

Electrical bulk resistivity

m
* i = 1 to 3
* j = 1 to 6