The dynamic behaviour of surface-bonded piezoelectric actuators with debonded adhesive layers

The performance of smart structures depends on the electromechanical behaviour of piezoelectric actuators and the bonding condition along the interface, which connects the actuators and the host structures. This paper provides a theoretical study of the effect of partially debonded adhesive layers on the coupled electromechanical behaviour of piezoelectric actuators subjected to high-frequency electric loads. An actuator model with an imperfect adhesive bonding layer, which undergoes a shear deformation, is proposed to simulate the two-dimensional electromechanical behaviour of the integrated system. An analytical solution of the problem is provided by solving the resulting integral equations in terms of the interfacial stress. Numerical simulation is conducted to study the effect of the bonding layer upon the actuation process. The effect of interfacial debonding on the dynamic response of the layered structure and on the interlaminar strain and stress transfer mechanisms is discussed.