Fundamental Behavior of Piezoceramic Sheet Actuators

This paper investigates the behavior of piezoceramic sheet actuators under different types of excitation and mechanical loading. The research especially focuses on the application of these actuators to the development of smart rotor systems. The free strain response of the actuators under DC excitation is experimentally investigated along with the associated drift of the strain over time. Effect of tensile stress on the free strain response is examined. The magnitude and phase of the free strain response of the actuator under different excitation voltages and frequencies is measured, and a phenomenological model to predict this behavior is developed and validated. The power consumption of the free actuator and a pair of actuators surface bonded to a host structure is calculated by the impedance method and validated by measurement. Additionally, depoling of the actuators is discussed, along with the feasibility of recovering performance by repoling in the event of accidental depoling.