Piezoelectric Effect

The ability certain materials to generate

electric potential or voltage when
mechanical pressure is applied to them.
Conversely, when an electric field is
applied to them, and it is tend to change
the dimensions along certain planes.
It is reversible, if we apply
voltage to the material, it will
deforms.

Direct piezoelectric effect

Converse piezoelectric effect

Generate electricity when

stress is applied

Generate strain when an electric field

is applied

The polarization (P) is directly

proportional to the stress
applied).

The reverse is true is when an electric

field (E) is applied to the material and
as a result, a strain is induced.

is piezoelectric coefficient

is piezoelectric coefficient

Material Used

Natural

Synthetic

Polarize
Ferroelectric
Crystals

Quartz

Lithium sulphate

Barium titanate

Rochelle salt

Ammonium
dihydrogen phosphate

Lead zirconatetitanate

The positive and negative charges are

symmetrically distributed in crystal.
When pressure is applied to an object, a
positive charge on the compressed side and
a negative charge produced on the expanded
side.

+
+

Compression (pushing
force)

+
+

Expansion (pulling
force)

Piezoelectric Transducers

The piezoelectric transducers work on the

principle of piezoelectric effect.
Stress or force are applied to some materials
along certain planes and produce electric
voltage.
The voltage output obtained from these
materials due to piezoelectric effect is
proportional to the applied pressure.
Higher will be stress higher will be voltage.
It has high sensitivity due to its excellent
frequency of response.

Due to its stability, quartz is used

commonly in the piezoelectric transducers.
Quartz is a natural crystal, highly stable but
the output obtained from it is very small.
Quartz offers the advantage of measuring
very slowly varying parameter which have
very low leakage when high input
impedance amplifiers being used.
For the application, a natural quartz crystal
has to be cut in the shape of a thin plate of
rectangular or oval shape of uniform
thickness.

Force that applied on the pressure port is

same to the force fall on the force
summing member.
Thus a potential difference will be
generated on the crystal due to its
property.
The
voltage
proportional
to
the
magnitude of the applied force.

Piezoelectricity workings
1.

Normally, the charges in a piezoelectric

crystal are exactly balanced, even if
they're not symmetrically arranged.

2.

The effects of the charges exactly

cancel out, leaving no net charge on
the crystal faces. (More specifically,
theelectric dipole moments vector lines
separating opposite charges exactly
cancel one another out).

3.

If you squeeze the crystal you force the

charges out of balance.

4.

Now the effects of the charges (their

dipole moments) no longer cancel one
another out and net positive and
negative charges appear on opposite
crystal faces. By squeezing the crystal,
you have produced a voltage across its
opposite
faces
and
that
is
piezoelectricity!.

Animation of Piezoelectricity