Strength improvement of a smart adhesive bonded joint system by partially integrated piezoelectric patches

Abstract In order to reduce the stress concentration in the adhesive layer of an adhesively bonded joint, a smart adhesive joint system was developed by integration of piezoelectric sensors/actuators patches, bonded to the surfaces of the adherends, near the ends of the joint area. By adjusting the applied electric field on the piezoelectric layer in the developed smart joint system, one can produce additional forces and moments which would act oppositely to those developed internally, thereby alleviating the stress concentration in the joint edges. This would, in turn, improve the performance of the adhesively bonded joint. In our work, the strength enhancement of the developed smart bonded joint system was first evaluated by an experimental investigation. In addition, a theoretical analysis model was developed for predicting the effect of the applied electric field on the surface-bonded piezoelectric patches. Keywords: ADHESIVELY BONDED JOINTSEXPERIMENTALPIEZOELECTRICSSTRENGTHENINGSMART JOINTACTIVE CONTROL