Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-materials-science-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2017/paper-1/2/a/solution
Past exam of the materials science course of the University of Cambridge 2017 Paper 1 2 a Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-20
Take the longitudinal scalar piezoelectric coefficient appropriate to the load and electrode direction. For a uniformly stressed slab of face area and thickness , the source charge is . Its capacitance is , so the ideal initially uncharged, electrically isolated sensor givesThe sign depends on the poling direction and electrode convention. Equivalently, the incremental constitutive law is ; an ideal open circuit keeps free electrode charge, hence , fixed and gives . area cancels because both generated charge and capacitance scale with area. Thickness does not cancel: the material comparison is through only when geometry is fixed. Here must be the relative permittivity under the relevant mechanical and frequency conditions.
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