A Perturbation Solution of the Thickness Natural Vibrations of a Piezoelectric Plate

This paper discusses a perturbation approach to the calculation of the natural frequencies and mode shapes for both the displacement and the electrostatic potential through-thickness vibration of an infinite piezoelectric plate. The problem is formulated within the coupled theory of linear piezoelectricity. It is described by a set of two coupled differential equations with unknown thickness displacement, the electrostatic potential and a general form of boundary conditions. A consistent perturbation solution to the natural vibration problem is described. An important element not present in the classical eigenvalue perturbation solution is that the small parameter appears in the boundary conditions; a way to handle this complication has been discussed. The natural frequencies and mode shapes obtained using the perturbation approach are compared to exact solutions, demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed method. The advantage of the perturbation method derives from the fact that coupled piezoelectric results can be obtained from the elastic solution during the postprocessing stage.