Evaluating the Reduction of Stress Intensity Factor in Center-Cracked Plates Using Piezoelectric Actuators

Abstract

Active repairs using smart materials such as piezoelectric actuators can play a significant role in reducing the crack damage propagation in engineering structures. This study analytically and numerically investigated the active repair of center-cracked plates using piezoelectric actuators. First, the stress intensity factor (SIF) for a center-cracked plate due to stress produced by a piezoelectric actuator is analytically modeled. This analytical model is obtained by applying the method of weight functions. In the second step, the solution is found for the center-cracked plate due to external loading from known linear elastic fracture mechanics. These solutions are then superimposed, taking into account the superposition principle to yield the total stress intensity factor for the integrated piezoelectric actuator to the center-cracked plate. Finally, the proposed theoretical model is verified by finite element simulation. The results indicated that the relative errors of the analytical model and the FEA results are less than 5% in all the cases studied in this paper.

A Systematic Review of Piezoelectric Materials and Energy Harvesters for Industrial Applications

“…In recent studies, Abuzaid et al [ 2 , 96 , 97 , 98 , 99 , 100 ] used piezoelectric material to control the damage propagation in aerospace structures. The ideas were developed to produce compression/tension stress around the damaged area along with the width of the piezoelectric actuator.…”

Review of Piezoelectric Actuator Applications in Damaged Structures: Challenges and Opportunities

“…The adhesive layer which undergoes shear deformation is proposed to simulate the 2D electromechanical system, the effect of interfacial debonding on the dynamic response of the layered structure, and the interlaminar stress and strain transfer mechanisms. Abuzaid et al 54 evaluated the reduction of SIF with bonded PZT actuators into a cracked plate using the weight-function method as anticipated by Bueckner. 55 The weight-function method depends not only on the stress distribution but rather on the structure geometry.…”

Development and Prospect of Smart Materials and Structures for Aerospace Sensing Systems and Applications

“…The stress intensity factor equation is a functional method that comprehensively describes crack depth, crack length, plate thickness, and plate width and can be used to predict how surface cracks will propagate under tensile or bending fatigue loads [ 60 ]. The results of a series of studies by Ahmed Abuzai et al [ 61 , 62 , 63 ] on the stress intensity factor of the central crack produced by the piezoelectric actuator revealed that the thin piezoelectric actuator patch superimposed can perform better when utilized for active repair. In order to determine the most effective critical voltage suitable for active structural repair of piezoelectric actuators, Ritesh Kumar et al [ 64 ] provided a general and simple solution for modeling and analyzing the repair of structural cracks by analyzing the repair performance of piezoelectric materials under thermal-mechanical loads, and gave a reference effective critical voltage.…”