A Ritz approach for two-dimensional piezoelectric media

Resumo

In this work, a Ritz procedure is presented for the analysis of two-dimensional piezoelectric media subjected to either applied mechanical loads or applied voltages. The solution domain is thought of as an assembly of disjoint subdomains to properly construct Ritz bases that account for discontinuities in the field variables. Specifically, the procedure is employed in a rectangular bimorph strip divided into two subdomains along the thickness, with convergence achieved by progressively increasing the number of Ritz bases. Only the required C⁰ continuity of displacement and electric potential is strictly enforced between subdomains. The parabolic distribution of the electric potential across the thickness of the strip, a common assumption in beam theories, is critically examined through numerical examples.