Ultrasound damage detection using built-in piezoelectric transducers is a promising technique because it can automatically
inspect and interrogate structural damage in hard to access areas. Although numerous efforts have been devoted to the
application of the structural health monitoring (SHM) concepts to real world problems; there is a shortage in the modeling
tools specifically tailored for rapid computer aided design of SHM applications. This is due to the fact that the finite element
method, which is the dominant method in the simulation of the wave propagation problems due to its geometric versatility
and the capability to simulate complex boundary conditions as well as coupling effects, lacks the required computational
efficiency for the structural health monitoring applications. This is because of the high frequencies usually utilized is SHM,
posing a huge burden on the mesh size to minimize the errors. Spectral element method (SEM), a variant of the p/FEM,
combines the fast convergence rates associated with the spectral methods with the geometric flexibility of the finite element
method, thus allowing for more computationally efficient simulation, leading to fast product design cycle. Recently, these
advantages have drawn the attention of the different researchers in the field of the SHM. The advantage of the SEM as a
high accuracy solution method enables the refinement and the testing of different concepts of SHM. One of these concepts
is the main focus of the current paper. The presented work is a parametric study of the effect of the piezoceramic actuator
thickness on the fundamental Lamb waves S 0, and A0 using a tailored SEM solver. In order to illustrate the reduction of the
computational costs the running times of the SEM solver were compared with the running times for some of cases solved
using commercial FEM solver (ANSYS), as well as the results are compared with analytical results based on a widely
accepted model from the literature. Additionally, the cases were validated experimentally, showing a good agreement with
the simulation results.
KEYWORDS: Sensors, Scanning electron microscopy, Chemical elements, Finite element methods, Wave plates, Ferroelectric materials, Wave propagation, 3D modeling, Actuators, Interfaces
A 2D model based on Legendre spectral element method (SEM) of a piezoceramic (PZT) patch coupled with an isotropic
plate is developed in details, based on coupled linear piezoelectricity and elastodynamic equations. The simulation results
are validated experimentally using a notched aluminum plate with surface bonded PZTs, for both actuation and sensing. Good agreement between simulation and experimental results is demonstrated for the fundamental Lamb modes A0 and S0, for a frequency band up to 0.75 MHz.mm on a 1.54 mm thick plate.
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