Measuring strain distribution during mesoscopic domain reorientation in a ferroelectric material

In this paper, we present the results of an experimental study focused on understanding the strain concentrations arising due to nonlinear phenomena associated with polarization switching. A moiré interferometry technique is used to measure the normal and shear strains of a PZT-5H piezoceramic undergoing 180 and 90 deg switching. These results include the strain concentrations measured between polarized regions oriented 180 and 90 deg apart. The results show that very large strain mismatches (e.g., as large as 4500 micros-trains) occur along the boundary of dissimilar oriented domains, suggesting a source of microcrack initiation and fatigue degradation.