ABSTRACT
The scope of this study is to investigate the feasibility of using piezoelectric sensing technology for assessing the structural integrity of a bonded patch, using an experimental and numerical approach. Numerical analyses, involving the application of finite element methodology, are presented in this paper. The goal of these numerical studies is to reduce the number of required experiments and to investigate the applicability of finite element methodology in evaluating the electromechanical response of composite bonded repair patches with embedded or surface bonded piezoelectric film sensors. The SMARTCOM finite element approach developed by Koko et. al. [1] is used for this investigation. The numerical results obtained provide insight into the electromechanical behaviour of instrumented composite bonded repair patches. Based on these results, limitations of the methodology and recommendations for effective modeling approaches for composite patches with piezoelectric sensors are presented and discussed.
