Characterization of piezoelectric ceramics and 1-3 composites for high power transducers.

The high power characteristics of various piezoelectric ceramics and 1-3 composites were investigated. In contrast to "hard" Pb(Zr,Ti)O(3), modified (Bi(0.5)Na(0.5))TiO(3) based ceramics were found to show a relatively linear electromechanical response under high drive conditions due to their high stability of mechanical quality factor. The effects of high drive field and duty cycle on the behavior of 1-3 composites were analyzed by varying active and passive components. Improved high power characteristics of 1-3 composites were achieved by selection of optimized composite components, with enhanced electromechanical efficiency and thermal stability under high drive conditions.