Fundamental Behavior of Piezoceramic Sheet Actuators

This paper investigates the behavior of piezoceramic actuators under different types of excitation and mechanical loading. The research focuses on the application of these actuators to the development of smart rotor systems. The free strain response of the actuators under DC excitation is investigated experimentally along with the associated drift of the strain over time. Effect of tensile stress on the DC response is investigated. Strain response to an AC excitation is also investigated for a free actuator and for a pair of actuators surface bonded to a host structure. The phase lag of the strain response and non-linear hysteretic effects have been observed and the power consumption has been validated by the impedance method. Additionally, depoling of the actuators is discussed, along with the feasibility of recovering performance by repoling in the event of accidental depoling.