Variational Asymptotic Micromechanics of Piezoelectric Composites Using Carrera Unified Formulation
Alfonso PAGANI, Rebecca MASIA, Enrico ZAPPINO
Abstract. Piezoelectric composite materials are increasingly used in sensors, actuators, ultrasonic imaging probes, and radar systems as they efficiently convert electrical energy into mechanical deformation. However, the variety of configurations complicates the evaluation of effective properties and the prediction of performance, requiring robust and high-fidelity design tools. This study introduces a micromechanics model based on the Variational Asymptotic Method (VAM) to determine the effective piezoelectric properties of composites. The structural formulation follows the Carrera Unified Formulation (CUF) with high-order beam elements representing the Repeatable Unit Cell (RUC) and Hierarchical Legendre Expansions (HLE) describing cross-sectional kinematics. Numerical studies on PZT-epoxy composites verify the model, showing accurate homogenized elastic, piezoelectric, and dielectric properties compared with reference data. The proposed CUF micromechanics framework is established to be inherently multifield and suitable for hierarchical multiscale analyses, enabling rigorous design, optimization, and reliability assessment of advanced piezoelectric composites.
Keywords
Piezoelectricity, Variational Asymptotic Method, Carrera Unified Formulation, Micromechanics, Composite Materials
Published online 7/20/2026, 5 pages
Copyright © 2026 by the author(s)
Published under license by Materials Research Forum LLC., Millersville PA, USA
Citation: Alfonso PAGANI, Rebecca MASIA, Enrico ZAPPINO, Variational Asymptotic Micromechanics of Piezoelectric Composites Using Carrera Unified Formulation, Materials Research Proceedings, Vol. 69, pp 1364-1368, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644904251-237
The article was published as article 237 of the book CEAS – AIDAA Conference 2025
Content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.
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