What is a piezoelectric transducer?
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by: miguelcarlos
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Date: Wed, 11 May 2011 Time: 9:24 PM
What is a piezoelectric transducer?
A piezoelectric transducer is a device that converts energy from one form to another. It takes advantage of the piezoelectric properties of certain crystals or other materials. It is also called a piezoelectric sensor.
This kind of transducer is a very important part of the ultrasonic instrumentation system. This transducer converts electrical signals into mechanical vibrations, which is also called a transmit mode. Also, it can convert mechanical vibrations to electrical signals which is called the receive mode. The heart of the transducer is the active element since it is the one that converts the electrical energy to acoustic energy and vice versa.
It uses the piezoelectric effect to function. Piezoelectric effect is the link between electrostatics and mechanics. It describes the relation between a mechanical stress and an electrical voltage in solids. It is also reversible.
Piezoelectric transducers are used to measure dynamic events. These dynamic events that are measured are typically relative to force. These include vibrations, force or impact, and pressure. These transducers to do not measure static forces or events.
Piezoelectric effect was discovered in 1880 by Jacques and Pierre Curie. They were able to find out that when a mechanical stress was applied to certain crystals such as tourmaline, topaz, etc, electrical charges will appear. This voltage is then proportional to the stress. The first applications of the piezoelectric effect were the ultrasonic transducers and the swinging quartz for standards of frequency or the quartz clock.
A piezoelectric transducer may be used as an actuator. This can be used for the exact adjustment of fine optical instruments, lasers, and atomic force microscopes. Another use of this kind of transducer is for electronic lighters and push button igniters for gas ranges and grills. This is because the voltage generated by the transducer is quite high. It can often reach up to a thousand volts. However, it can only last for a brief moment and only when the material is initially deformed.
Some kinds of piezoelectric transducers were specially fabricated to be more efficient transmitters while other kinds were specially fabricated to be more efficient receivers. A transducer designed to perform in one type of application may not necessarily produce the same results in a different application.
They have been proven to be versatile tools for measurement of various processes. They are often used for quality assurance, process control and for research and development in many different industries. It has been successfully proven in fields such as medical, aerospace and nuclear, especially in the development of new instruments. In the telecommunications industry, it is used as a pressure sensor in the touch pads of mobile phones. In the automotive industry, on the other hand, they are used to monitor combustion in internal combustion engines.
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Learn more about the piezoelectric transducer and the piezoelectric effect through Tech-Faq.Com.
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