Crack repair performance of piezoelectric actuator estimated by slope continuity and fracture mechanics

The active repair performance of the piezoelectric actuator for the cracked structure is studied in this paper. As an extension of the author’s previous study, this paper discusses a special repair case and new results by using two repair criteria: the slope continuity criterion and fracture mechanics criterion. Crack contact analyses and fracture mechanics in the crack tip field are considered in the plane strain finite element analyses. From numerical results, it is concluded that the fracture mechanics criterion is better for defining the repair voltage. The crack tip field and crack contact condition must be considered to obtain correct results. However, it is not a good idea for the active repair to use higher applied voltage on the piezoelectric actuator.