Investigation of crack repair using piezoelectric material under thermo-mechanical loading

This article presents an experimental investigation of repair of a crack in a structure using piezoelectric material under thermo-mechanical loading environment. The cyclic mechanical load is applied on a plate with a straight and angular crack under uniform temperature environment. Two cases have been considered for the repair of crack under (a) mechanical loading and (b) thermo-mechanical loading environment. A piezoelectric sensor is utilized to measure voltage. The measured voltage is used to calculate the stress intensity factor in passive and active modes. The effect of a single and double piezoelectric patch in the repair of the plate is investigated. The double piezoelectric patch is found to be more effective as compared to single patch when placed symmetrically offset from the crack. An optimal value of voltage and phase difference is evaluated for most effective crack repair. Location of the piezoelectric patch is varied with respect to crack location, and best-suited position for effective crack repair is proposed. The viability of piezoelectric used for repair under thermo-mechanical loading is discussed. The active mode of repair by piezoelectric is found to be effective under thermo-mechanical loading environment.