Application of Piezoelectric Materials on Repair of Delaminated Structures

The potential of piezoelectric ceramics on repair of delaminated structures subjected to a static loading is researched in the letter. A sliding fracture mode on two tips of a delaminated beam structure was uncovered by the author in a previous report. The stress singularity due to the fracture mode at the tips is attempted to be mended with a pair of piezoelectric patches by virtue of their electro-mechanical characteristics. A developed mechanics model is employed to study the applicability of the piezoelectric materials in repairing four types of delaminated structures, i.e. simply supported, cantilevered, propped cantilevered, and fixed beams. The effectiveness of the proposed method is particularly investigated with respect to the locations of the delamination in both the thickness and longitudinal directions of the beams. It is hoped that the research findings in the letter will promote an application of smart materials to repair delaminated or cracked engineering structures.