Analysis of the shear stress transferred from a partially electroded piezoelectric actuator to an elastic substrate

The shear stress distribution between a partially electroded thin piezoelectric film and a semi-infinite elastic substrate is analyzed. It is shown that the shear stress is governed by a pair of integro-differential equations. These equations are solved numerically using the concept of elements and the finite difference method. A few special cases are treated analytically. The behavior of the shear stress is examined. The developed approach and results are useful in analyzing and understanding the behaviors of piezoelectric actuators on an elastic structure.