Effect of Adhesive Debonding on Static and Dynamic response of PZT Bonded Aluminium Beam

Abstract

Abstract Piezoelectric actuators and sensors have been extensively used in smart structures. A structure becomes smart when piezoelectric patches are either surface bonded or embedded into the host structure. Under the application of electric potential piezoelectric materials may expand/contract, which serves them as an actuator. Similarly, when it gets strained, an electric potential is induced, which serves them as sensors. Piezoelectric materials (PZT) are usually surface bonded to the structures using suitable bonding agents. This bonding agent plays a crucial role in transferring the forces from the piezoelectric layer to the host layer. This paper presents the effect of adhesive debonding on static as well as dynamic response of PZT bonded aluminium beam. The results show that debonding failure adversely affects the actuating capabilities of the PZT transducer. It is seen that the tip displacement decreases with increase in debonding size. The results also highlight that neglecting the adhesive layer in the finite element (FE) models overestimates the tip displacement as well as its natural frequencies.