Dynamic analysis of damaged magnetoelectroelastic laminated structures

In the present paper a boundary element analysis of the dynamic response of damaged magnetoelectroelastic laminate structures is presented. The problem is formulated employing generalized displacements. The mass matrix is computed by the Dual Reciprocity Method. Due to the non-homogeneous nature of the laminate the multidomain boundary element technique is employed which also straightforwardly allows the modeling of interface cracks and delaminations. The multidomain boundary element technique is implemented with imperfect interlaminar interfaces and unilateral interface conditions to prevent the physical inconsistence of the overlapping between interface nodes belonging to two different pl…

Artificial neural network comparison for a SHM procedure applied to composite structures.

In this paper different architectures of Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) for structural damage detection are studied. The main objective is to create an ANN able to detect and localize damage without any prior knowledge on its characteristics so as to serve as a realtime data processor for SHM systems. Two different architectures are studied: the standard feed-forward Multi Layer Perceptron (MLP) and the Radial Basis Function (RBF) ANNs. The training data are given, in terms of a Damage Index ℑD, properly defined using the piezoelectric sensor signal output to obtain suitable information on the damage position and dimensions. The electromechanical response of the assembled structure has b…

Piezoelectric bimorph response with imperfect bonding conditions

The effect of the finite stiffness bonding between the piezoelectric plies of bimorph devices has been investigated. A boundary integral formulation for piezoelasticity, based on a multidomain technique with imperfect interface conditions, has been developed. The imperfect interface conditions between the piezoelectric layers are described in terms of linear relations between the interface tractions, in normal and tangential directions, and the respective discontinuity in displacements. Continuity of the electric potential at the interface is also assumed and an iterative procedure is implemented to avoid interface interference. Numerical analysis has been performed on bimorph configuration…

Systematic comparison of Artificial Neural Networks for a SHM procedure applied to Composite Structure

The problems related to damage detection represents a primary concern, particularly in the framework of composite structure. In fact, for this kind of structures barely visible damage can occur. Moreover, one of the major in-service damage of composite aircraft strcutures is represented by disbonds between the stiffeners and the skin undergoing dynamic or post-buckling loads. The effective implementation of a SHM system relies on the synthesis of non-destructive technique (NDT), fracture mechanics, sensors technology, data manipulation and signal processing, and it can receive a great improvement through the use of an Artificial Neural Networks. Different architectures of Artificial Neural …

Analysis of piezoelectric active patches performances by boundary element techniques

This paper presents the analysis of active piezoelectric patches for cracked structures by Boundary Element Method. A two dimensional boundary integral formulation based on the multidomain technique is used to model cracks and to assemble the multi-layered piezoelectric patches to the host damaged structures. The fracture mechanics behavior of the repaired structures is analyzed for both perfect and imperfect interface between patches and host beams. The imperfect interface, representing the adhesive between two different layers, is modeled by using a “Spring Model” that involves linear relationships between the interface tractions, in normal and tangential directions, and the respective di…

Postbuckling analysis of cracked stiffned plates by pb–2 Rayleigh-Ritz method

A Rayleigh-Ritz approach for the analysis of buckling and post-buckling behavior of cracked composite stiffened plates is presented. The structure is thought as the assembly of plate elements modeled by the first order shear deformation theory. Continuity along the edges common to contiguous elements are enforced by using penalty techniques, which also allow to straightforwardly implement efficient crack modeling strategies. General symmetric and unsymmetric stacking sequences are considered and numerical procedures have been developed and used to validate the present solution by comparison with FEA results. Original results are also presented for post-buckling solution of multilayered stif…

METABOLIC SYNDROME IN CHILDHOOD AND CARDIOVASCULAR RISK

Piezoelectric patches for the active repair of delaminated structures

A FEM piezoelectric beam model for damping circuit analysis

A finite element, developed for straight generally layered smart beam, is used to investigate vibration damping capability of circuit elements. First, the electric state is analytically condensed to kinematical quantities and the mechanical model is then written for shear deformable Timoshenko’s beam including the effects of electro-elastic couplings stacking sequence. The contributions of the external electric loads on both the equivalent stiffness properties and the equivalent mechanical boundary conditions are also taken into account. The finite element is formulated by using Hermite shape functions, which depend on parameters representative of the staking sequence through the equivalent…

Free vibrations of magnetoelectric bimorph beam devices by third order shear deformation theory

Finite elements for nonlinear free vibrations analysis of smart laminates subjected to in-plane loadings

Advanced composites, able to provide multi-functional capabilities besides the traditional structural functions, has been gaining attention in many technological fields. This inherent coupling of different physical fields can be exploited in transducer applications, structural health monitoring, vibration control, energy harvesting and other applications. Magneto-electro-elastic (MEE) composite materials are attracting increasing consideration as they couple mechanical, electrical and magnetic fields and this makes them particularly suitable for smart applications. Generally, single-phase materials exhibit either piezoelectric or piezomagnetic behavior and no direct magneto-electric couplin…

On the accuracy of the fast hierarchical DBEM for the analysis of static and dynamic crack problems

In this paper the main features of a fast dual boundary element method based on the use of hierarchical matrices and iterative solvers are described and its effectiveness for fracture mechanics problems, both in the static and dynamic case, is demonstrated. The fast solver is built by representing the collocation matrix in hierarchical format and by using a preconditioned GMRES for the solution of the algebraic system. The preconditioner is computed in hierarchical format by LU decomposition of a coarse hierarchical representation of the collocation matrix. The method is applied to elastostatic problems and to elastodynamic cases represented in the Laplace transform domain. The application …

On the transient response of actively repaired damaged structures by the boundary element method

The transient fracture mechanics behavior of damaged structures repaired through active piezoelectric patches is presented in this paper. The analyses have been performed through a boundary element code implemented in the framework of piezoelectricity to take account of the coupling between the elastic and the electric fields, which represents the peculiar feature of piezoelectric media. The multi-domain technique has been also involved to assemble the host structures and the active patches and to model the cracks. Moreover, the patches have been considered elastically bonded to the damaged structure by means of a zero thickness adhesive layer. This has been achieved through the implementat…

Structural Health Monitoring of delaminated composite structures by the Boundary Element method

Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) for composite materials is becoming a primary task due to their extended use in safety critical applications. Different methods, based on the use of piezoelectric transducers, strain memory alloys as well as of fibre optics, has been successfully proposed to detect and monitor damage in composite structural components with particular attention focused on delamination cracks. In the present paper a Structural Health Monitoring model based on the use of piezoelectric sensors, already proposed by the authors for isotropic damaged components, is extended to delaminated composite structures. The dynamic behavior of the host damaged structure and the bonded piez…

A boundary element model for piezoelectric dynamic strain sensing of cracked structures

A piezoelectric sensor model is here presented for the Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) of damaged structures. A boundary element approach based on the Dual Reciprocity BEM is then used to model and analyze the transient response of a piezoelectric patch bonded on a cracked beam. The BE model is written for the piezoelectric problem employing generalized displacements. The multidomain boundary element technique is implemented to model non-homogeneous and cracked configuration, taking contact conditions into account. Analyses have been carried out for an isotropic beam with a piezoelectric strip attached on it and dynamical results for the undamaged structure have been compared with FE res…

BE analysis of delaminated Composite Structures repaired with Piezoelectric Active patches

The main target of the present paper is the analysis of the fracture mechanics behavior of delaminated composite structures actively repaired through piezoelectric patches. The aim at issue has been achieved by using a boundary element code implemented to study piezoelectric solids, including, as limiting case, the applicability to linear elastic anisotropic materials. The assembled structures, made up of the damaged composite components and the piezoelectric patches, have been modelled through the multidomain technique. To take into account for the adhesive layer among the host structure and the active patch, an interface spring-model has been also implemented. The multidomain technique co…

BE contact analysis of delamination cracks actively repaired trhough piezoelectric active patches

Large deflection analysis of magneto-electro-elastic laminates

Magneto-electro-elastic (MEE) composites containing piezoelectric and piezo-magnetic phases have recently emerged for many application smart structures technology. In this framework, the development of tools to analyze the MEE laminates is essential for their efficient design. In the present work, a model for the large deflection analysis of MEE laminated plates is proposed. The first order shear deformation theory and the von Karman stress function approach are employed to model the mechanical behavior whereas quasi-static behavior is assumed for the electro-magnetic quantities. First, the magneto-electric problem is solved in terms of the plate mechanical primary variables. In turn, this …

Structural Health Monitoring Procedure for Composite Structures through the use of Artifcial Neural Networks

In this paper different architectures of Artifcial Neural Networks (ANNs) for structural damage detection are studied. The main objective is to investigate an ANN able to detect and localize damage without any prior knowledge on its characteristics so as to serve as a real-time data processor for Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) systems. Two different architectures are studied: the standard feed-forward Multi Layer Perceptron (MLP) and the Radial Basis Function (RBF) ANNs. The training data are given, in terms of a Damage Index =D, properly defined using a piezoelectric sensor signal output to obtain suitable information on the damage position and dimensions. The electromechanical respons…

MITC FINITE ELEMENTS FOR MAGNETO-ELECTRO-ELASTIC PLATES BASED ON EQUIVALENT SINGLE-LAYER THEORY

Finite elements for magneto-electro-elastic laminated plates are formulated. They are based on an equivalent single-layer model, which assumes the first order shear deformation theory and quasi-static behavior for the electric and magnetic fields. To infer the plate model, the electro-magnetic state is firstly determined and condensed to the the mechanical primary variables, namely the generalized displacements. In turn, this result is used into the layers constitutive law to obtain the equivalent single-layer laminate constitutive relationship that expresses the plate mechanical stress resultants in terms of the generalized displacements taking the magneto-electro-elastic couplings into ac…