INDUCED STRAIN OF ACTUATION OF SURFACE BONDED PIEZOCERAMIC PATCHES - A NUMERICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL-STUDY

The induced strain of actuation of surface bonded piezoceramic patches was examined using numerical and experimental techniques. Specifically, a commercially available finite element package was used to examine these induced strains. The piezoceramic patches were actuated in the model via a specified thermal expansion or contraction dependent on the free e-field/strain response of the piezoceramic patches. Moire interferometry was used to examine the induced strains on the plate surface near-to and far-from a patch edge. These experimental results compare favorably with the numerical results, indicating that the numerical approach is a valid analysis technique. Results indicate relatively large in-plane and out-of-plane tensile stresses as well as large shear stresses in the regions surrounding a patch edge. These large stresses are not statically significant but will likely cause long term fatigue problems.