Strengthening of an Edge-Cracked Plate Under Bending Using Piezoelectric Actuators

Abstract

Monitoring structural stability and repairing damaged components has grown in importance to ensure the safety and longevity of various engineering structures. This paper presents an innovative method for improving the performance and delaying the failure of edge-cracked plate-like structures by incorporating piezoelectric actuators during bending. The proposed method uses two piezoelectric actuators strategically placed along the plate's surface to create a counter-moment that reduces the severity of the crack. The analytical model was based on well-known stress intensity factor (SIF) solutions for the cracked plate, while the SIF after actuation was calculated with the counter moment produced by the piezoelectric patch. The superposition principle was then used to determine the total SIF after repair. The proposed technique was validated against the ABAQUS-based finite element solutions. SIFs are calculated for various parameters like crack length, patch thickness, and repair voltage. The results demonstrate that the integration of piezoelectric actuators significantly enhances the beam's structural integrity by reducing the SIF. A 21.48% reduced SIF was obtained under 200 V repair voltage for a 5 mm crack length and 0.5 mm patch thickness. Overall, this novel approach offers a promising method for increasing the integrity of cracked structural components, particularly under bending, reducing maintenance costs, and enhancing overall safety.