Design and characterisation of a single element tri-axial piezoelectric transducer for in-shoe force measurement

This paper describes the design and characterisation of a miniature single element tri-axial piezoelectric transducer made of PZT (Lead Zirconate Titanate). The transducer will be used for in-shoe force measurement. PZT is selected to replace the original transducer material P(VDF-TrFE), which is no longer readily available. The properties of PZT and P(VDF-TrFE) are compared to show that PZT provides significant improvements in terms of sensitivity, availability and cost as a choice for the tri-axial transducer. Design and construction methods for the new transducer have been developed and applied to prototype transducers. Preliminary experimental results show that PZT is a suitable material for in-shoe force applications.