An experimental study on the repair of a notched beam subjected to dynamic loading with piezoelectric patches

An experimental realization of the effective repair of a notched cantilever beam structure subjected to dynamic loading by use of piezoelectric patches is reported. In the experiment, a small piezoelectric patch used as a sensor is placed on the notch position to monitor the severity of the stress concentration around the notch area by measuring the charge output on the sensor, and a patch used as an actuator is located around the notch area to generate a required bending moment by employing an actuation voltage to reduce the stress concentration at the notch position. The actuation voltage on the actuator is designed from a feedback circuit process. An analytical model is first established for the repair process by providing the calculation of the actuation voltage, and then a finite element model (FEM) is conducted to verify the effectiveness of the analytical model. Finally, repair of a notched cantilever beam is realized experimentally. Both the numerical simulations and the experimental studies show that the developed practical structural repair technique for notched beams with piezoelectric patches is effective and efficient. © 2011 IOP Publishing Ltd.