Meshless analysis of piezoelectric sensor embedded in composite floor panel

Abstract

Piezoelectric materials are the key element in various sensors and sensory devices used in industry and research. In this article, we use the meshless local Petrov–Galerkin method to analyze a three-dimensional piezoelectric sensor that is embedded in a composite floor panel. Temporal variation of panel deformation is determined analytically and then prescribed as a boundary condition for the sensor. In the proposed formulation, quasi-static governing equations for the electric field and elastodynamic equations for mechanical fields are coupled together. Local integral equations are derived from the local weak form of the governing equations, using a Heaviside step function as the test function. Nodal points are distributed in the analyzed domain, and each node is the center of a small subdomain of spherical shape. The spatial variations of the displacement and electric potential are approximated by the moving least squares scheme. A system of ordinary differential equations is obtained after evaluation of all spatial integrals. The Houbolt finite-difference scheme is applied to solve this system of ordinary differential equations as a time-stepping method. The temporal variation of the induced electric field is finally obtained. It is shown that significant peak amplitudes of the electric field are detected at the top of the sensor.