Coupled Piezoelectric
You can employ piezoelectric solutions for problems such as:
Direct piezoelectric effects for sensing technology and the converse effects for actuation technology.
Active noise control (ANC) and active vibration control (AVC) to minimize sound energy radiated by structures by using smart piezoelectric materials.
Piezoelectric energy harvesting (PEH) to transform the kinetic energy of vibration and pressure into electric power.
Non-destructive evaluation of structures looking at wave signatures, for example, diagnostic signs of construction defects by using piezoelectric materials as sensors and transducers.
Specific coupled structural-electrical engineering applications include:
Ultrasound Imaging: Piezoelectric transducers are used in ultrasound imaging as a transmitter or receiver.
Oil and Gas Logging: Piezoelectric transmitters and receivers are used extensively (in addition to acoustic-structural modeling) to ping the well casing and understand well integrity.
Underwater Sonar Application: Piezoelectric material are used for wave generation and for receiving and interpreting the signals.
BAW/SAW Waveguides: Piezoelectric waveguides are used to filter signals exploiting the resonance/antiresonance with applications in 5G technology.
Touchscreen Sensors: Piezoelectric layers can act as pressure and force sensors. It can provide accurate, high-frequency, and rapid response. And it is widely used in industrial and aerospace applications.
Piezoelectric MEMS Microphones: Piezoelectric microphones can provide large capacitance and it does not require bias voltage or backplate. It is also useful for prototyping microphones with unconventional geometries.
Piezoelectric Mass Sensor: Piezoelectric devices are used for highly sensitive mass sensing by observing the shift in resonant frequencies.
Piezoelectric Gyroscopes: Piezoelectric material induced vibrations in MEMS gyroscopes can be used for orientation measurements due to added Coriolis effect during rotation.
Piezoelectric Motors: Ultra-sensitive piezoelectric linear and rotary motors can be used for nanometer scale precision on positioning with applications in various dynamic control applications.
Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) Gyroscope: As a part rotates, the Coriolis force will create an electrical current. MEMS gyroscopes are ultra-small, ultra-lightweight, and quick response.
Coupled Structural-Thermal
You can employ coupled structural-thermal solutions for problems such as:
Large mechanical deformations where contact is established between surfaces late in the solution. These contact conditions form new heat flow pathways.
Internal heat generation because of mechanical deformations.
Heat generation due to relative sliding between contacting surfaces.
Thermal properties problems where materials are dependent on the mechanical solution and vice-versa.
Fracture or delamination problems where the material or structure undergoes deformations that modify heat flow pathways.
Nonlinear thermal boundary conditions where the non-linearity is dependent on the Mechanical solution.
Pressure and gap cases that depend on contact thermal properties.
Specific coupled structural-thermal engineering applications include:
Brake Pad Heating: Relative sliding between the disc and brake pads cause significant frictional heat generation.
Plastic Seals: Large plastic deformation of seals cause temperatures to rise because of plastic heating. This may lead to relaxation in contact pressure. In addition, when subjected to cyclic pressure loads, the contact surfaces may generate frictional heating.
Arc Welding: High temperature material deposition (through element birth) and subsequent cooling may lead to distortions in the final geometrical shape because of thermal expansion/contraction.
Friction Stir Welding: The process relies on frictional heat generation between the tool and the workpiece, this necessitates using coupled thermal-structural analysis.
Cancerous Tissue Ablation: RF waves are used for internal heat generation in cancerous cells leading to ablation. Coupled thermal-structural analysis may be utilized in addition to model this effect (in addition to element death).
Metal Forming: Plastic heat generation in regions undergoing large plastic deformations may result in contraction/expansion leading to distortion of the final part.
Vibration Isolation Pads: For high frequency applications there may be an increase in temperature due to viscoelastic heating in vibration isolation pads leading to change in material response and reduced fatigue life.
Threaded Connectors: For high temperature applications local plastic heating near the threads and frictional heating can lead to increase increased temperature, causing reduced fatigue life because of thermomechanical fatigue.
High-frequency Resonators: Thermoelastic damping may affect the harmonic response of the resonators, coupled field thermal-structural solutions allow for including this effect.
Hyperelastic Seal Fatigue: For high frequency loading, viscoelastic heating may lead to changes in material behavior and also reduce fatigue life, coupled thermal-structural solutions allow for including this effect.
Thermal Barrier/Coating Ablation: Surface heat generation at the coating surfaces (such as in ceramic thermal protection systems in space shuttle) causes the surface to ablate. Coupled thermal-structural analysis may be utilized in addition to model this effect (in addition to element death).