Nonsymmetric Deformation Behavior of Lead Zirconate Titanate Determined in Bending Tests

Soft lead zirconate titanate (PZT) ceramics exhibit a nonsymmetric deformation behavior, where the tensile strains exceed the compressive strains for a given stress level. This phenomenon affects the strains in bending tests. In addition to the normally determined bending strain that is measured by the curvature of a specimen, an additional length extension occurs that can be used as a high‐sensitive indicator for the occurrence of the nonsymmetric behavior. Furthermore, it will be shown that the pure tensile and compression behavior may be derived from bending tests.