Electric energy generation by shock compression of ferroelectric ceramics: Normal−mode response of PZT 95/5

Abstract

Reproducible and predictable electrical pulses with peak powers of a few hundred kilowatts lasting for a few microseconds can be obtained from shock−wave compressed ferroelectrics. In this work, impact−loading techniques are used to investigate the electromechanical response of poled specimens of a ferroelectric ceramic, PZT 95/5, to long−duration shock pulses. The experiments are conducted in the normal mode in which the shock propagation vector is perpendicular to the remanent polarization. Current histories are obtained as a function of load resistance for a fixed shock amplitude of 1.4 GPa, and few additional experiments investigate the stress dependence of the electrical response. A simple, though specific, model is developed that gives good agreement with observed results. The extension of this model to other materials and shock−loading conditions is discussed.