Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 February 2011
The internal stress distribution in multilayer actuator was analyzed by a numerical simulation. Around the edge of conventional inter-digital electrodes, the non-uniform electric field generated the stress concentration, which caused the ceramic to crack. Various electrode configurations were presented to decrease this stress concentration. Especially the float electrode type is a promising design because this can be fabricated using almost the same process as the conventional multilayer actuator, and the simulated results indicted that the float electrode type decreased the stress concentration of inter-digital type in approximately 1/3.