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The cellulose fibers that form washi are longer than those of regular paper made from wood pulp. Hence, the mechanical properties of washi can be higher than those of conventional paper. This study evaluated the magnetic, magnetostrictive, and tensile properties of negative magnetostrictive cobalt ferrite (CoFe2O4) particle dispersed handmade washi (washi−CoFe2O4). The CoFe2O4 additives magnetized the washi, which displayed negative magnetostriction with the fiber direction perpendicular to the magnetic field and in the parallel fiber direction. Concerning the mechanical properties, the washi−CoFe2O4 displayed an elongation of up to 77% after yielding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the effects of poling conditions on the piezoelectric performance of potassium sodium niobate [(K,Na)NbO3, KNN]/polymer composites, to obtain their unsteady energy harvesting potential. KNN nanoparticle/polymer composites were designed and fabricated and the poling condition test was performed. The composites were polarized using the corona poling method for various poling conditions and then the piezoelectric coefficient d33 was measured. It was found that piezoelectricity does not decrease over days. Scanning electron microscopic observations were conducted to study the distribution of the nanoparticles in the matrix. Meanwhile, the microstructure of the composites was studied by X-ray diffraction. Unsteady wind energy harvesting tests were accomplished to investigate the output voltage characteristics in the KNN nanoparticle/polymer composites in unsteady winds. The study represents an important step in developing flexible energy harvesters with stable performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of magnetic fields on the stress intensity factors in a soft ferromagnetic strip under uniaxial tension is analyzed. A strain gauge method is used to determine the stress intensity factor and the stress intensity factors made between the theory and experiment are compared.

This paper studies the electromechanical response of multilayer piezoelectric actuators from room to high temperatures for fuel injector applications. A phenomenological model of depolarization at high temperatures was proposed, and the temperature dependent piezoelectric coefficients were obtained. The nonlinear electromechanical fields of the multilayer piezoelectric actuators due to the depolarization at high temperatures were then calculated by the finite element method. In addition, experimental results on the electric field induced strain at high temperatures were presented to validate the predictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines theoretically and experimentally the electromechanical behavior of multilayer piezo-actuators for fuel injectors at cryogenic temperatures. A thermodynamic model was employed to predict a monoclinic phase. A shift in the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) between the tetragonal and rhombohedral/monoclinic phases with decreasing temperature was determined, and the temperature dependent piezoelectric coefficients were obtained. Temperature dependent coercive electric field was also predicted based on the domain wall energy. A finite element analysis was then performed to calculate the nonlinear electromechanical fields of the multilayer piezo-actuators from room to cryogenic temperatures, due to the shift in the MPB and polarization switching. In addition, experimental results on the electric field induced strain, which verify the model, were presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of an experimental and numerical investigation in electric fracture behavior of composite [Pb(Zr,Ti)O3] double torsion (DT) specimens. DT tests were conducted on a commercial piezoelectric ceramic bonded between two metals. Fracture loads under different electric fields were obtained from the experiment. Nonlinear three-dimensional finite element analysis was also employed to calculate the energy release rate for DT specimens based on the exact (permeable) and approximate (impermeable) crack models. The effects of applied electric field and domain switching on the energy release rate are discussed, and the model predictions are compared with the results of the experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Theoretical, experimental and numerical investigation of the displacement and polarization switching properties of piezoelectric laminated actuators is been carried out. Useful guidelines for the design of piezoelectric laminated actuators are provided.