In this blog post, we'll have a look at some of the basics of electronic resonators such as: what is a resonator, the types of resonators that are most used on the market, the basic physical principles, the most important characteristics, and how to get all of that with simulation using OnScale.

In today's smart devices, the RF Front-End (Also called RFFE) represents all the circuitry between High frequency data received from Antennas to near-zero frequency baseband signals.

American physicist and electrical engineer Dr. Walter Guyton Cady (1874–1974) was, during his lifetime, described as the “Father of Modern Piezoelectricity”.

In current mobile devices, there is a sophisticated circuitry that is responsible for converting information from the near-zero frequency baseband signals used to convey information and data to radio-signals that can be received or transmitted over the air.

Let us provide you with a very simple definition first to get things clear. Certain materials tend to accumulate electric charges when a mechanical stress is applied to it. The piezoelectric effect is an effect that simply describes the fact that a pressure applied to a piezoelectric material will generate a voltage.

In 1880 brothers Pierre Curie and Jacques Curie were working as laboratory assistants at the Faculty of Sciences of Paris. They discovered that applying pressure to crystals such as quartz, tourmaline and Rochelle salt generates electrical charges on the surface of these materials. This conversion of mechanical energy into electrical energy is called the direct piezoelectric effect. “Piezo” is derived from the Greek for “to press”.

In Part 1 of this Blog Tutorial we provided a more theoretical example of piezoelectric equations and the important coefficients to know.

Obtaining the correct piezoelectric material properties from a manufacturer datasheet and transforming those properties into the correct format for simulation can be a hassle.

We had the chance to interview OnScale Founder and UK Director, Andrew Tweedie to discuss what brought him to FEA Simulation. In this blog post Andrew shares a fascinating insight into how Finite Element Analysis (FEA) simulation can benefit in designing systems that we would never have dreamt possible, however has played a big role in shaping the engineering world we have today. Andrew, can you tell us about your background in engineering and FEA Simulation?

In this blog post we discuss piezoelectric transducers and the best way to model them with finite element analysis (FEA).