Abaqus Modeling voltage input through a Piezoelectric material

[EPFStudent]

Hi everyone,

I'm trying to modelize the mechanical response of a piezoelectric actuator on Abaqus. So, I want to carry out a coupled thermal-electrical-structural analyse. I red on a post that it is possible to omit the thermal part (which is not of my interest) by omitting thermal properties in material definition. Then only electrical and structural degrees of freedom should be activated. In the post the autor seems to say that it is the only way to run this kind of analyse on Abaqus.

However, when I make the "Data Check" I have this error message "DEGREE OF FREEDOM 11 AND AT LEAST ONE OF DEGREES OF FREEDOM 1 THRU 6 MUST BE ACTIVE IN THE MODEL FOR *COUPLED TEMP-DISP. CHECK THE PROCEDURE AND ELEMENT TYPES USED IN THIS MODEL." which seems to mean that the type of elements I chose (Piezoelectric) can't perform the analyse because they don't have enough DOF. (I defined Electrical potential BC's to simulate the voltage).


Am I doing wrong ? Or is there any other way to simulate a voltage over piezoelectric element ?

Cordially

 

[FEA way]

For coupled thermal-electrical-structural analyses there's a separate element type. Piezoelectric elements are meant for other kinds of simulation steps.