Abstract
AbstractShear mode guided waves are highly demanded for underwater structural health monitoring (SHM) applications due to their simplified non‐dispersive feature and minimal acoustic energy loss in the presence of liquid. Excitation and detection of pure shear wave are challenging using conventional piezoelectric materials used in the current ultrasonic transducers because they have complex piezoelectric responses mixed with multiple longitudinal, transverse, and shear modes. They also suffer from aging issue due to depoling. Here, conformable shear mode ultrasonic transducers are designed and made of flexible piezoelectric poly (L‐lactic acid) (PLLA) fibers on both flat and tubular structures. The electromechanical responses over a macroscopic area of the transducers are evaluated in a wide frequency range up to 500 kHz. The PLLA fiber‐based shear mode ultrasonic transducers exhibit a consistent sensitivity of detecting defects in liquid and air. In addition, the only shear mode in PLLA fibers originates from crystal structure without requiring electrical poling to render piezoelectricity, thus does not depole due to aging. The theoretical analyses including ab initio calculations and experimental results on both flat and tubular structures show the great potential of PLLA material and significant advantage of PLLA fiber‐based shear mode ultrasonic transducers for underwater SHM applications.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
