Repair of delaminated beams subjected to compressive force via piezoelectric layers

The research in the paper presents the application of piezoelectric layers on repair of delaminated beams subjected to compressive force. The discontinuity of the shear stresses induced at the two tips of the delamination, which may result in the sliding mode of fracture, due to the bending of beams at the buckling mode is first studied from a mechanics model. The application of piezoelectric materials on repair of the delaminated beam structures is investigated by employing the electromechanical characteristics to remove the sliding mode of fracture at the tips of the delamination. A comprehensive mechanics analysis is provided to calculate and design the voltages on the piezoelectric layers to erase the shear stress discontinuity at the tips of the delamination. The dependence of the voltages on the location and the size of the delamination is carefully studied. Numerical simulations are conducted for the derivation of the buckling load of the delaminated beam with different boundary conditions and the voltages on the piezoelectric patches. The research presented serves to provide information on the design of piezoelectric materials for the repair of delaminated structures.