An analysis tool for piezoelectric gages

The Piezo-electric Gage Analysis System U.S. (pegasus) couples a two-dimensional dynamic structural finite element code to a two-dimensional electrostatics code for analysis of piezoelectric gages. The method has a sound theoretical basis and is built around two powerful finite element anlysis codes. The analysis codes provide the solution of the time dependent stress state in the gage and the solution of the electrostatic equation for each time step. pegasus provides the link between the two codes and the steps required to carry the analysis through to prediction of gage currents. Post-processing of the results allows visual interpretation of the the electric fields within the gage. Here we briefly describe the code and show that it can be a valuable tool for understanding the nature of piezoelectric gages. Received 6 May 1996 / Accepted 31 October 1996