Dynamic analysis of a piezoelectric augmented beam system with adhesive bonding layer effects

Embedded and surface bonded piezoelectric wafers have been widely used for control and monitoring purposes. Several nondestructive evaluation and structural health monitoring techniques, such as electromechanical impedance and wave propagation–based techniques, utilize piezoelectric wafers in either active or passive manner to interrogate the host structure. The basis of all these techniques is the energy transfer between the piezoelectric wafer and the host structure which takes place through an adhesive bonding layer. In this article, the high-frequency dynamic response of a coupled piezoelectric-beam system is modeled including the adhesive bonding layer in between. A new three-layer spectral element is developed for this purpose. The formulation of this new element takes into account axial and shear deformations, in addition to rotary inertia effects in all three layers. The capabilities of the proposed model are demonstrated through several numerical examples, where the effects of bonding layer geometric and material characteristics on dispersion relations and damage detection capabilities are discussed. The results highlight the importance of accounting for the adhesive bonding layer in piezoelectric-structure interaction models, especially when the high-frequency dynamic response is of interest.