Low-velocity impact response of smart sandwich composite plates with piezoelectric transducers: Modeling and experiments

A global–local methodology is presented for predicting the response of sandwich composite plates with piezoelectric transducers to low-velocity impact. Model reduction techniques have been employed in order to build a computationally efficient plate-impactor structural system, solution of which yields the global plate’s response. Higher-order layerwise kinematic assumptions enable estimation of the stress distribution locally through the thickness of the laminate and prediction of stress at the interface between different materials. Using the developed method, impact identification studies have been conducted in order to estimate impact location and impactor mass and velocity, and to reconstruct the impact event, including impact force history, posteriori. In order to validate the developed methodology, a low-cost portable experimental configuration for impact testing has been designed and impact measurements were compared to the predictions.