Numerical Study on Adhesive Interface Reinforcement of Piezoelectric Composite under Impact Load

Abstract

The interfacial reinforcement with interlaminar chopped fibers of piezoelectric composite under impact electro-mechanical load was studied using nonlinear finite element method. A meso- mechanical model based on the main toughness reinforcement mechanism of single fiber bridging and pull out was adopted, and then a tri-linear bridging law was obtained, while the interface chopped fibers by defining nonlinear bidirectional spring elements between coincident nodes on the two crack surfaces within bridging zone and the energy release rate was calculated using the virtual crack closure technique. The numerical investigation indicates that the interlaminar chopped fiber can effectively reduce the crack tip energy release rate whether the applied voltage is positive or negative, which was an effective technique improve the interfacial toughness of the piezoelectric composite adhesive structure.