Micromechanics-BEM Analysis for Piezoelectric Composites

The effective material properties of piezoelectric composites are predicted using micromechanics models of the composite structure combined with a boundary element method (BEM) solution of the governing equation. The composites consist of inclusion and matrix phases. The micromechanics method gives formulae for the overall material constants as functions of the concentration matrix, while the boundary element simulation gives numerical solutions of the boundary displacement and electric potential equations for inclusion or hole problems. Numerical results for a piezoelectric plate with circular inclusions are presented to illustrate applications of the proposed micromechanics-BEM formulation.