Session: 02-06-01: Structural Dynamics and Control of Morphing Wing and Smart Structures

Paper Number: 107227

107227 - A Global-Local Modeling Approach for the Wave Propagation Analysis in Reinforced Panels With Integrated Piezoelectric Sensors 

The development of damage detection strategies for composite structures is extremely appealing, particularly in the aerospace area where the reduced safety margins necessitate a constant heal-monitoring of primary structures. The use of active materials, e.g. piezoelectric transducers, has been proposed in many research works to provide sensing capabilities to laminated structures. Those materials may have either ceramic or polymeric nature and are characterized by an electro-mechanical coupling, that is, they produce an electric field when subjected to mechanical deformations and vice-versa. Piezoelectric transducers may assume extremely thin shapes, and this makes them particularly suitable to be embedded in laminated structures. On the other hand, the introduction of a foreign element into a composite structure, may act as a spot for the damage initiation.

The use of numerical models can support the design of active structures. Finite element methods have been widely used for the analysis of piezo-electric devices but, since the solution is expected to be highly three dimensional, a solid model is often required. The high computational costs of solid models make them suitable for the study of coupons or components; therefore, the analysis of complex structures must be carried out with simplified models (beam and shell) that do not guarantee an appropriate accuracy.

This paper suggests a novel method for the analysis of complex active structures. The use of node-dependent kinematic models, derived in the frameworks of the Carrera Unified Formulation, has led to an innovative global-local strategy able to couple finite elements with different levels of accuracy. This approach has been used to study complex structures with integrated piezo patches by using high-fidelity models only in those areas where complex phenomena are expected. In particular, layer-wise model accuracy has been exploited in those areas where the active material is embedded, while equivalent single layer models have been used elsewhere to ensure reasonable computational costs. This approach has been used to investigate the lamb-wave propagation in reinforce panels. Multiple piezoelectric sensors and actuators have been considered increase the damage detection capabilities. The results show that the present approach may provide an accurate solution in the piezo-patch area. The local refinement of the solution results in an improved description of the mechanical field with the possibility to predict local failure and, at the same time an accurate description of the waves propagation including the interferences due to the presence of localized sensors/actuators.

Presenting Author: Enrico Zappino Politecnico di Torino

Presenting Author Biography: Enrico Zappino is an assistant professor at Politecnico di Torino. He has been in Professor Carrera’s research group since 2010. His research activities concern structural analysis using classical and advanced models, multi-field analysis, composite materials analysis and virtual manufacturing. He is the coauthor of many works published in several international peer-reviewed journals.

Authors:

Enrico Zappino Politecnico di Torino
Jamal Najd Université de Technologie de Compiègne
Erasmo Carrera Politecnico di Torino
Walid Harizi Université de Technologie de Compiègne
Zoheir Aboura Université de Technologie de Compiègne