ABSTRACT
The complexity of engineering structures dictates a paradigm shift from traditional
inspection and damage detection techniques to more reliable and efficient approach.
Smarts materials such as piezoelectric materials are being studied as onboard
sensors to detect damage progression inside composite structures. Nevertheless,
predictive models of such complex structures coupled to piezoelectric materials been
absent, especially related to damage detection and prediction. In the current study, a
multi-scale approach is suggested to predict the behavior of piezoelectric fiber-based
composites. Micromechanical model based on transformation field analysis is
described to quantify the overall material properties of electrically active composite
structure. Capitalizing on the extracted properties, single-phase analysis of a
homogeneous structure is conducted using Carrera Unified formulation; a refined
plate theory extended to include electric behavior of active materials. Results
obtained here are validated against experimental results. Furthermore, the impact of
damage on local and global fields is evaluated on macro-level through simulated
voids inside a beam-like structure.