Abstract
An exact solution is obtained for a sandwich cylinder composed of two homogeneous elastic layers and an embedded exponentially graded piezoelectric (EGP) layer under the radial deformation. Based on the displacement method, the governing equations for both the elastic and piezoelectric layers are derived. Frobenius series method is employed to solve the governing equation of EGP layer, which is a second-order nonhomogeneous ordinary differential equation with variable coefficients. With the aid of the obtained solution, the parametric analysis is extensively investigated for a sandwich cylinder subjected to radial mechanical loads at the internal and external surfaces coupled with the applied voltages on the piezoelectric layer. Numerical results show that the Young’s moduli of the elastic layers, the inhomogeneity parameter of the EGP layer, as well as the external applied voltages have significant effects on the mechanical and electric fields in a sandwich cylinder.