An Investigation into Active Strain Transfer Analysis in a Piezoceramic Sensor System for Structural Health Monitoring Using the Dual Boundary Element Method

The coupled electromechanical behaviour of a thin piezoceramic sensor bonded to a stiffened panel subjected to membrane mechanical loadings is examined. The sensor is characterised by an electrostatic line model bonded to a damaged panel modelled by the dual boundary element method. Numerical results obtained demonstrate that the proposed method is capable of modelling changes in the signal output due to presence of cracks. Also presented is a numerical model for detecting fatigue crack growth in a stiffened panel using piezoceramic sensors. Keyword: MEMS, Crack detection