• Method for characterization of bonding layer effects on bending and activation. • Soft adhesives enable higher bending on piezoelectric-equipped structures. • Non-conductive adhesives present high enough conductivity for structural activation. • Bonding layer have substantial influence on vibration damping applications. • Adhesives allows compromises between electromechanical coupling and bending. The integration of piezoceramics transducers on mechanical structures designed for energy harvesting or mechanical damping requires the use of an adhesive layer. To maintain high efficiency under bending, the effects of this layer on the overall electromechanical coupling coefficient must be evaluated. This study compares different adhesive technologies used to bond piezoceramic transducers to mechanical structures subject to bending. Each adhesive was assessed by considering several relevant factors: the loss of electrical contact induced by the bonding, the highest reachable bending prior to rupture, and the overall electromechanical coupling coefficient. Experimental tests, together with finite element analysis, were developed not only to confirm the reliability of our approach, but also to identify the key characteristics of the best adhesive for bent structures. Finally, conclusions are drawn regarding the properties of a high-performance bonding layer in transducer-equipped smart-structures. The methodology and findings are expected to provide a useful and efficient guideline for similar applications where imperfect bonding conditions necessitate optimization of the adhesive layer.
Camus et al. (Wed,) studied this question.