Abstract
Effective material properties of active fiber composites with interdigitated electrodes are derived as a function of the fiber volume fraction. For the purpose of applying the rule of mixture, three unit cell models are introduced; each for the deformation and stress continuities in the out of plane and in-plane directions, and the continuity of the electrical displacement in the longitudinal direction. Derived effective material properties are compared with the results by the finite element method; good agreements are observed between them. As an application, the electromechanical behavior of the angle ply laminates with the active fiber layers bonded on the top and bottom surfaces are investigated; the angle of piezoelectric fiber to maximize the twisting curvature is obtained using the present model.