The dynamic behaviour of a piezoelectric actuator bonded to an anisotropic elastic medium

Surface-bonded piezoelectric actuators can be used to generate elastic waves for monitoring damages of composite materials. This paper provides an analytical and numerical study to simulate wave propagation in an anisotropic medium induced by surface-bonded piezocermic actuators under high-frequency electric loads. Based on a one-dimensional actuator model, the dynamic load transfer between a piezoceramic actuator and an anisotropic elastic medium under in-plane mechanical and electrical loading is obtained. The wave propagation induced by the surface-bonded actuator is also studied in detail by using Fourier transform technique and solving the resulting integral equations in terms of the interfacial shear stress. Typical examples are provided to show effects of the geometry, the material combination, the loading frequency and the material anisotropy of the composite upon the load transfer and the resulting wave propagation.