Electromechanical behaviour of surface-bonded piezoelectric sensors/actuators with imperfect adhesive layers

The performance of smart structures depends on the electromechanical behaviour of piezoelectric sensors/actuators and the bonding condition along the interface, which connects the sensor/actuator and the host structures. This thesis documents a theoretical study of the influence of material parameters of the imperfect bonding layer on the coupled electromechanical characteristics of piezoelectric sensors/actuators. A one dimensional sensor/actuator model with an imperfect bonding layer, which undergoes a shear deformation, is proposed. The emphasis of the current study is on the local stress and strain fields near imperfectly bonded sensors/actuators and the load transfer. Analytical solutions based on the integral equation method are provided. Detailed numerical simulation is conducted to evaluate the influence of the geometry and the material mismatch of the adhesive layer upon the sensing/actuating process. The interfacial debonding and its effect upon the strain/stress distribution and the overall performance of the integrated structure are evaluated in detail.