Modeling of sensor fidelity

The sensor response of a piezoelectric transducer embedded in a fluid loaded structure is modeled using a hybrid numerical approach. The structure is excited by an obliquely incident acoustic wave. Finite element modeling in the structure and fluid surrounding the transducer region is used and a plane wave representation is exploited to match the displacement field at the mathematical boundary. On this boundary, continuity of field derivatives is enforced by using a penalty factor. Numerical results are presented for the sensor response in different host materials piezoelectric sensor materials. It is found that the sensor at that location is not only non-intrusive but also sensitive to the characteristic of the structure.