Surface mapping of field-induced piezoelectric strain at elevated temperature employing full-field interferometry

Piezoelectric actuators and sensors are widely used for flow control valves, including diesel injectors, ultrasound generation, optical positioning, printing, pumps, and locks. Degradation and failure of material and electrical properties at high temperature typically limits these applications to operating temperatures below 200°C, based on the ubiquitous Pb(Zr,Ti)O₃ ceramic. There are, however, many applications in sectors such as automotive, aerospace, energy and process control, and oil and gas, where the ability to operate at higher temperatures would open up new markets for piezoelectric actuation. Presented here is a review of recent progress and initial results toward a European effort to develop measurement techniques to characterize high-temperature materials. Full-field, multi-wavelength absolute length interferometry has, for the first time, been used to map the electric-field-induced piezoelectric strain across the surface of a PZT ceramic. The recorded variation as a function of temperature has been evaluated against a newly developed commercial single-beam system. Conventional interferometry allows measurement of the converse piezoelectric effect with high precision and resolution, but is often limited to a single point, average measurement and to limited sample environments because of optical aberrations in varying atmospheres. Here, the full-field technique allows the entire surface to be analyzed for strain and, in a bespoke sample chamber, for elevated temperatures.