Multiscale Model And Experimental Study Of Damage In Piezoelectric Fiber-Based Composite

Abstract : The ability of piezoelectric materials to couple mechanical and electrical properties have caused the materials to play a pioneer role in structural health monitoring (SHM) applications as well as energy harvesting systems. Piezoelectric materials are able to perform the role of both sensors and actuators in SHM systems. However, the electromechanical behavior of Piezoelectric Fiber Composites (PFCs) remains a viable field of study. Micromechanical model based on transformation field analysis is used to quantify the overall material properties of electrically active composite structure. Capitalizing on the extracted properties, single-phase analysis of a homogeneous structure is conducted using finite element method, extended to include electric behavior of active materials. A numerical modal analysis based on the aforementioned multiscale model is conducted on pristine samples. An experimental study focuses on PFC damage such as delaminations could impair its role as a sensor or actuator in an SHM system or in an energy harvesting system. An experimental modal analysis is performed on piezoelectric fiber based composite bimorphs in both pristine and damaged conditions. Shifts in natural frequencies and the corresponding electrical response at resonance due to a delamination introduced to a PFC.