Shear-Horizontal Wave Dynamics in Smart Fiber Composites with Layerwise Interfacial Imperfections

Abstract

In this study, the propagation behavior of shear-horizontal (SH) waves in a tri-layered smart composite structure including a piezoelectric fiber-reinforced composite (PFRC) core, flanked by a fiber-reinforced composite (FRC) layer and a piezoelectric layer is investigated. A major development of this study is the addition of imperfect interfacial effects, providing a more realistic model of multilayered composite systems. Analytically generated and numerically investigated, the dispersion relation for SH waves is obtained by stating the governing equations and using suitable boundary conditions. The impacts of interfacial bonding parameters and layer thickness ratios on SH wave phase velocity are investigated in depth parametrically. Results show that wave propagation is highly influenced by interfacial properties and geometric configurations, therefore stressing important design issues for uses in structural health monitoring, energy harvesting, and non-destructive evaluation. For advanced multilayer composite systems, our study offers a unique analytical structure and insightful design ideas.