Finite-element Modeling Irreversible Polarization Process of Ferroelectric Ceramics

Abstract

A finite-element model developed for quasi-static processes describes irreversible processes of deformation and polarization occurring in polycrystalline ferroelectric media due to the effect of intense electric fields and mechanical loads. The paper presents external parameters such as strain and polarization as a sum of residual and reversible parts. Using the incremental theory, the virtual work law, and the constitutive relations for reversible and irreversible components, a system of linear algebraic equations was built for the increments of nodal values of the main variables, namely the displacement vector and the electric potential, during the transition from one equilibrium state to another.The constructed constitutive relations connect the reversible parts of the strain and polarization with the stresses and the electric field in the form of linear tensor equations. It is shown that the physical characteristics depend on the residual parameters so that the coefficients of elastic compliance and dielectric constant linearly depend on the principal values of residual strain, and the piezoelectric modules depend linearly on the module of residual polarization. The constitutive relations for the increments of the residual parameters are determined as element values for each finite element from the equations in differentials. Ultimately, the task is reduced to a system of linear algebraic equations, the matrix and right sides of which depend on the residual parameters and are determined at each equilibrium state. As a result, the non-linearity of the problem is replaced by solving a sequence of linear problems until the external loads reach their final values.The model is implanted into a finite-element complex, which allows us to determine the fields of residual strain and polarization, the physical characteristics of a partially polarized body, and local anisotropy for the case of complete and partial polarization.