Free vibration analysis of piezoelectric coupled circular plate with open circuit

A vibration analysis of a circular steel substrate surface bonded by a piezoelectric layer with open circuit is presented. A solution for the electrical potential along the thickness direction of the piezoelectric layer satisfying the open circuit electric boundary condition is developed for the first time. The mechanical model and solutions for the vibration analysis of the piezoelectric coupled circular plate are then established based on the developed electrical potential, the Kirchhoff plate model, and the Maxwell equation. The first four mode shapes and the corresponding resonant frequencies of the plate with two standard boundary conditions are presented in numerical simulations and compared with those of a piezoelectric coupled plate with the closed circuit condition. The simulations show that the resonant frequencies of the open circuit piezoelectric coupled plate are higher than those of the closed circuit piezoelectric coupled plate. Corresponding discussions are thus provided for the higher piezoelectric effect from the open circuit piezoelectric layer. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.